Echoes of the Dearly Departed
by Shawn30
Summary: Some things in life are simply too heartbreaking to imagine. Too painful to even consider. But the essence of life is what if... Complete, AP
1. Chapter 1

**Title: "Echoes of the Dearly Departed" (1/2) **

**Written by: Shawn**

**Summary: Some things in life are simply too heartbreaking to imagine. Too painful to even consider. But the essence of life is what if...**

**Category: Drama Rating: PG-13 for very mild sensuality Ship: Anakin and Padmé Skywalker forever**

**Timeline/Spoilers: Revenge of the Sith AU from the moment Mace Windu allows Anakin to accompany him when he goes to arrests Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. The fight that ensued ended with Palpatine being killed. Anakin never turned to the dark side. The official investigation into everything and everyone associated with Palpatine has been ongoing for six months following Revenge of the Sith. Anakin and Padmé are still married in secret, but Obi-Wan knows about and has accepted it. The Jedi Council, following its near massacre at the hands of Palpatine is reevaluating the Jedi Code. No official decision has been made as of yet.**

**Disclaimer: George Lucas and Lucasfilm own everything.**

**Email:**

**Authors Notes 1: Luke and Leia Skywalker were born on Naboo and are six moths old.**

**Authors Notes 2: Padmé confided in Queen Apailana concerning her post as Senator of Naboo. Due to her impeccable service record, intelligence, and the support of other key Senators she has been allowed to remain the Senator for Naboo. Her post is secure if and when it is revealed that she is married to Anakin.**

**Special Thanks: To my Jed Master beta readers Anne and Jennifer. You gals are the very best of the best. bows**

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**"Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation." Kahill Gibran**

**"Hope" is the thing with feathers-- That perches in the soul-- And sings the tune without the words-- And never stops--at all." Emily Dickenson**

**"The family is a haven in a heartless world." Attributed to Christopher Lasch**

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**Officially: Senator Padmé Amidala's apartment Unofficially: Anakin and Padmé Skywalker's apartment The early morning Located in the Republic Plaza Galactic City, Coruscant**

Few things in existence were as perfect as the dawning of a new day.

Yawning softly against Anakin's bare shoulder, Padmé felt the warm, sunny rays of light caressing her face through the parted curtains of their bedroom window. Her rosy lips curled lazily into a smile when her fingertips grazed her husband's chest, the smooth skin over toned muscle pleasing to her touch. He didn't stir, his slumber as deep and satisfying as the fiery passion they shared last night when he returned home after a four-day assignment.

Had she worn him out? Her sleepy mind wondered with a note of pride, mentally grinning at the notion that she could exhaust him. He had certainly and thoroughly shown her seven shades of paradise before she fell asleep in his arms.

And now as a new day began, Padmé saw no reason to open her eyes just yet. Thinking a pleasant, silent prayer that her children would sleep just a little while longer, she nestled closer to the soothing, warm comfort of her husband, ever thankful he slept shirtless.

Such a pleasing sight to wake up to.

Minutes trickled by in slow motion as Padmé enjoyed the peace surrounding her, safe and secure next to Anakin. The four days they spent apart felt so much longer than that since they became parents. Missing him as deeply as she did walked hand in hand with her respect for his role as a Jedi Master. Meshing their insanely busy schedules while maintaining the appearance of a deep and abiding friendship hadn't been easy. Despite it all the best times of their lives were when they were together, no matter the details of how they had to make it work.

Despite the faraway noise of Coruscant's busy skyline, with its endless streams of repulsor-lift traffic, Padmé reveled in the knowledge that she wouldn't have to travel in it today. She certainly wouldn't miss the Senate Hall's lengthy security checkpoint clearances, or the gossip-hounding reporters twisting her every statement into that night's lead story on the HoloNet. Time away from her infant children, even when spent performing a worthwhile task, still tore at her heart.

Thankfully, that wasn't going to be a problem today. Padmé didn't have to get up so early for any reason that didn't involve her family.

The meeting she was set to attend this morning, on the upcoming Senate hearings over new and massive charges of fraud filed against the Intergalactic Banking Clan, was postponed late last night. She dreaded the midday Senate rebuttal of charges filed against the very long-winded CEO of the Corporate Sector Authority over expunged information from the records archive. Baron Tagge could talk for hours without saying a relevant thing the entire time. Praise the Force, that too was delayed until a later date and with it the Senate Hall caterer's lunch menu of bland dishes they tried to pass off as edible.

With her day suddenly free of her duties, Senator Amidala could retire for the next twenty-four hours.

Enter Padmé Skywalker.

From the moment her steamy, late night shower was interrupted by a very aroused Jedi Master the good Senator was nowhere to be found. And now as Padmé felt so carefree... so liquid calm and light... so weightless... so...

Wait a minute!

"What?" Padmé muttered upon blinking away the last of her sleepiness, only to look down at her wide-awake husband, his hand covering his mouth to stifle the laughter he was no doubt enjoying at her expense. Being made fun of wasn't something she took well at all. "Ani, how many times have I told you not to make me float when I'm asleep?"

Anakin wisely did not respond. The sight of his wife hovering in mid-air never failed to amuse him.

"Why must you levitate me when I'm waking up in the morning?" she questioned from about two feet above him, her arms now crossed over her chest. She followed his line of vision and what she found made her eyes narrow. He was enjoying an eyeful of her breasts through her nightgown. As much as she dearly loved this man she knew one day she might turn to the dark side just to get back at him. "What is so funny about seeing me... hey... stop that... do not twirl me around..."

The absolute light of his life was the sound of his hysterically mad wife turning in mid-air above him. Oh yes, he would pay for this transgression when he least expected it. His brilliant, strong-willed, mature wife had let her hair down more since the demise of Palpatine. Not so reserved, she gave as good as she got in the games department. That only made him love her more.

"I'm getting dizzy. Stop right now!" Her order was heeded immediately as she came to a calm still above her smirking husband. Holding onto a seething rage wasn't possible when his infectious amusement took hold of her. Despite being the trigger of his laughter, he was overwhelmingly happy to be home. And while she couldn't let him think he could get away with stuff like this whenever he wanted to, she had to admit loving that blissful expression he wore. He was such a kid sometimes. That alone reawakened her youthful side as well. "Floating me without my consent is something we've talked about before."

"Not really talked," Anakin reminded her while smiling, his hands behind his head. "It was more like you ordered me to never do it."

Padmé's thick mahogany hair hung down around her face. She swept it all back with one swipe of her hand. "You seem to think the Force is meant to be an instrument for pulling pranks on me."

"Perish the thought."

"You move my shoes all the time," she accused him, counting off his crimes on her fingers. "You leave them on shelves too high for me to reach."

Innocence best described his expression. "It's C3PO. I'm sure of it. He's secretly out to get you."

"You pull pins from my hair when I don't know you're doing it."

"You can't prove that."

"When I'm turning the water taps and nothing comes out it's you holding the water back with the Force."

"Now why would I do such a thing?"

The guilty grin he couldn't resist told the tale. Padmé glared at him. "I don't like it when you do those things."

"And you're perfect, right?"

"That's no way to argue your point. You don't have a point. You are at fault here."

"This isn't the Senate Hall. For Force-sake, you're levitating over me in a sheer pale blue gown."

"I can plead my case while unraveling yours no matter my lack of clothing." Defiant in his eyes, she tried her best not to laugh. Men were so easily befuddled. And since this one was in love with her, she could play him like a finely tuned instrument.

"What about you? You have the nerve to complain when I bring home Kolar berries, saying they are unhealthy, but then you eat the whole bag."

The chocolate dipped sweet berries were a favorite of Padmé's, though she would never reveal that to him. He was too much fun to toy with. "How they disappear is not my concern seeing as how you have never caught me eating them. There is no video footage, nor sworn testimony. Your accusations are unfounded and insulting."

"It had to be you. C3PO and R2 don't eat. Your handmaidens stay out of our food units, and the twins don't have teeth yet."

"Luke's a feisty one. You underestimate him. He can gum anything."

"And I hate it when you stack and alphabetize all of my tech manuals."

"You leave them out all over the place. I only seek to bring order to the chaos that surrounds your belongings."

When had she turned things around on him? And how did she manage to look so utterly beautiful while floating over him. Both were smiling now despite the silliness they were engaging in this morning. Moments of levity and mirth were priceless amidst the strict responsibilities they lived with day after day. Anakin cherished moments like these more than any other.

"Why did you have to spray that flowery air freshener in my speeder?"

He was far too cute when he complained. Padmé fondly remembered spraying a whole bottle of the cheap perfume she received as a free gift for attending a fundraiser. "Your speeder carried an odor I found very displeasing."

"Obi-Wan accused me of getting in touch with my feminine side. Master Windu actually cracked a smile at me."

"You have a feminine side? Why didn't you mention this before we were married?"

"That's 'my' speeder."

"It's 'ours'," she declared as the tide turned. "We're married, remember? We share everything."

"You nearly threw a fit when you caught me using your toothbrush a week ago."

"We share everything 'except' my toothbrush. I thought that went without saying." No matter that she hung above him, she had yet again won this round. Containing the glee she felt over this very immature, though thoroughly enjoyable argument of sorts wasn't easy at all. She held her smile in check. "I find you guilty of abusing the Force to annoy the woman who bore your children. Furthermore, I find you in need of a shave."

Padmé continued, " In addition..." Slowly, ever so subtly she felt herself begin to descend until her chest pressed to his. Natural gravity saw her slim figure draped over him, and then his strong arms anchored around her lower back as he gazed into her eyes. "I'm mad at you."

If Anakin lived to be as old and wise as Yoda he knew he would never verbally best his wife. Her argumentative abilities and speaking skills were omnipotent, and so he used his greatest weapon, her utter weakness to his tender affections.

"Doing that isn't going to solve things," Padmé purred through a whispery moan when his lips began softly kissing her neck and then warmed the shell of her ear.

His hands tangled in her lush, thick hair. His lips brushed moist kisses across her cheek until he reached her lips at last. Sweet... Force, she tasted so sweet to him, their mouths merging urgently, his fingers combing through her hair as his tongue explored, delving passionately with her own.

All pretenses of denying him were lost the moment his lips captured her own. He claimed her as his own long ago, and forever more. From one heartbeat to the next she felt devoured by his passion for her, while loving every second of it. Loving him with the full extent of her heart.

And if those two precious children of theirs were kind, she intended to love him with her body as well. What a way to start the day...

And then the Holocom beeped on her desk in the corner of the room.

Anakin groaned against her lips, and then she gently pulled away. His arms held her tighter until he recognized that look on her face. "Please ignore it."

"What if it's an emergency?" His sigh was evidence enough that even he didn't want to risk that. "Just give me a second, and then I'm all yours." His child-like groan made her ruffle his hair.

Padmé padded across the room and sat down in the chair at her desk. She pressed the receive button and was greeted with the face of an old friend. "Sabé?"

"My lady," Sabé greeted her good friend and former Queen with a gracious nod. "It's been too long." Suddenly, a raised eyebrow brought with it a knowing expression of humor on the former decoy's face. "Good morning. And by good morning I mean it must be one for you. You're flushed a lovely shade of red, and your hair is in disarray. Your smile is downright sinful."

Padmé rolled her eyes, somewhat embarrassed. "Oh please." Sabé wasn't going to let this go. That just wasn't her former handmaiden's style. "What can I do for you?"

"Oh, nothing really. I just wanted to catch up. But I can tell you were or are otherwise occupied." Sabé never mentioned Anakin over any communication lines, but the implication lingered just the same. "My morning doesn't seem as good as yours."

"Perhaps we can catch up a bit lat..." Before Padmé could finish Sabé began laughing really hard. The Senator quickly discovered it was due to the straps on her gown slowly falling off her shoulders of their own accord. Sparing another glare over at the bed, she continued. "Maturity is lacking in the male species these days."

"I doubt maturity is what had you blushing pink."

Padmé saw the hem of her gown slowly rise, revealing the soft, satiny skin of her toned thigh. "Sabé, when the 'others'," a code word for the twins, "are taken care of I will call you back."

"That's perfectly okay. You have other matters to attend to. I'm sure you have things that want to get into you... I mean things you need to get into." Sabé bit back a naughtier line as Padmé stared while shaking her head. "I'll speak to you soon, my lady."

"Farewell, Sabé." Padmé ended the transmission, stood and walked back over to the bed. Despite wanting to remind her husband yet again to not undress her when she was talking to someone who could see her, he looked entirely too sexy sitting up against the bed, naked as the day he was born, devouring her with his eyes.

Before she could fall back into bed twin wails echoed over the baby monitor device. Padmé hung her head, as did her husband. "They're hungry."

"So am I."

He didn't mean for food. She liked that. "Later," she winked. "I promise."

"Alright, angel."

"Now get up and help me."

"Yes Master."

"What was that?"

He didn't dare try another smart remark with her. At least not until after the babies were asleep again. "Coming, my love."

**Ninety Minutes Later**

"You are such a good little girl," Anakin complimented Leia while he spoon-fed her in the kitchen. Seated next to the sky-blue highchair vacated by her brother, the youngest female Skywalker wasn't giving her father any problems this morning. As long as she faced the immense, curving glass hub overlooking Coruscant's dawning skyline she tended to not be so fussy. "Eat just a little bit more, and then we're done."

Anakin took his time feeding her as the soft smacking noises she made signaled her approval. Normally, she was busy trying to grab his long hair or avoiding the spoon altogether until her breakfast smeared across her cheek. A handful and a half, Obi Wan often joked she could scream so loudly the Jedi Council could hear her from the nursery. But for some unknown reason she was giving her father a break today.

Gazing into his daughter's warm, brown eyes, Anakin was awed again by how beautiful she was. She reminded him of all that was good in his life. Leia's soft, curly hair now resembled her mother's chestnut brown locks. She held her rattle the way he hoped she would one day wield a lightsaber, though he would never say the like around Padmé. She was fast becoming her own little person, just like her brother.

"All done," Anakin was pleased to report and then made a silly face just to hear her laugh. He gently wiped her face clean while listening to Padmé's soothing voice quietly explaining to Luke that his teething wasn't going to last forever. The cold teething ring in his son's mouth seemed to have quieted him for the time being. The caring tenor she used with Luke was the same one that comforted him after his own terrible nightmares. It came as no surprise their son could be swayed as well.

With Leia's short attention-span focused on the amazing shades of amber covering Coruscant's upper atmosphere, Anakin watched his wife circle the apartment with their son nestled safely to her chest. He adored watching her when she wasn't aware of it. She moved with such grace, carrying an aura as regal as the Queen she used to be. She was such an incredible woman, and he was amazed that she had chosen to spend her life with him. The Force's Chosen One be damned, he was Padmé's. Her gentle heart called out to his troubled soul, drawing him to her like a moth to a flame forever more.

Privately, Anakin wondered if this feeling would ever end, the sense of wonder she effortlessly instilled within him. He had been married to her for nearly four and a half years, and now they had two amazing children. At no time has had he found himself considering what else could be out there.

Or more to the point, whom.

In all of the ways a man could love a woman, Padmé had been his first. Not a day had gone by that she failed to fulfill every aspect of his life. He loved her from the moment he was born and only fell deeper the moment he saw her so many years ago. She meant more than the world to him, more than the galaxy itself.

Padmé was life to Anakin. Without her there would only be death. He knew that. Lived with it. Killed for it. And would die a thousand times for her.

The whispery cooing sounds his daughter made while being amused by the many busy air-taxi cabs whizzing by the window gave him yet another reason to brush his lips over her temple. She had that perfectly sweet baby scent, a note of innocence for him to enjoy after a lifetime of far less than that.

Anakin shifted his attention back to Padmé, now touring the veranda with their son. This apartment, their home, was a quiet, peaceful haven away from it all. A Senator and a Jedi visited, but only the Skywalker family lived here.

Drawing a somber breath, Anakin promised himself his family would never know suffering the way he did.

Luke and Leia would never know the horror of being someone's slave. They would never be a living piece of property, ordered when to eat, when to sleep, when to wake up and what to do. They would never be sold like merchandise the way he and his mother were. They wouldn't' have to live with the fear he did growing up that someone would purchase his mother to use in ways that had nothing to do with work.

Disgusting, and yet Anakin had friends who lost mothers and sisters to slave owners seeking pleasures of the flesh. He'd seen men, women, and children beaten and whipped in the streets. Things that could damn a child's spirit, and yet in the midst of misery his mother managed to bestow upon him such endless love and caring.

Shmi taught him mercy when none was offered to her. However did she know, he'd considered in his darker moments of reflection? How had the poverty they endured not broken her? How could she be so affectionate when she was shown so little? How had she remained so kind and compassionate when they were treated so badly?

Padmé, as sympathetic as her nature was, had never been exposed to such hardships on a personal level. She had traveled across the stars and seen many atrocities, but they never touched her loved ones. She never had to live the way those who needed her help did.

And for that Anakin was eternally grateful.

Padmé had given him everything he lost, and all that he felt would forever be just out of his reach. When his mother died, the last of his family was gone. The day he married Padmé changed that. And now he was a father thanks to her. The solitary existence that underscored one's pursuit to become a Jedi no longer applied to his life.

All because an angel loved him.

This dream existence could have easily become a nightmare. Anakin recalled the exact moment in Palpatine's office when the Supreme Chancellor begged and pleaded for his life. When he declared that only through the Sith could he save Padmé. Had Qui-Gon's wisdom not come to him in his most dire hour events could have turned out vastly different.

Images of dead Padawans slain by his own hands tortured him some nights. A dark figure of cold evil haunted him. Emotionless and hate filled, it murdered every good thing Anakin loved. And what was worse, sometimes when it took of its helmet, he looked just like...

A small balled up fist rapped softly against Anakin wrist, dragging him away from his restless inner thoughts. He grudgingly conceded that Obi-wan's observation a few weeks ago was true. Leia might look almost exactly like Padmé, but she definetly had his smile.

Living in the blissful present, Anakin bent down to kiss that little fist a couple of times, causing a fit of giggles in Leia. "You're in such a good mood this morning," he said to her, returning her smile. "Do you think you could stay that way for the next five years or so? Your mom and I would really appreciate it."

Leia made a cute baby sound in response.

"I'll take that as a yes." Soft, padding footsteps approached. When Anakin lifted his head he found Padmé walking back into the kitchen. Luke slept peacefully with his head on her shoulder while she tenderly rubbed his back. His angel had worked her magic yet again.

Padmé felt Anakin's eyes following her all the way across the kitchen, stalking her every step. She gently settled a sleeping Luke back into his highchair. "You're staring."

"You're beautiful."

Smiling, she met his sincere gaze. "Even with this spit-up on my dress?"

"You're stunning."

He meant it, over the top as most of his compliments were. Nonetheless, it did make her blush. Months after becoming a mother he knew how to make her feel like a woman. He had certainly and thoroughly loved her like a woman last night. "Thank you."

Padmé exhaled against his chest when Anakin embraced her, and then kissed the top of her head. For a day free of meetings, speeches, and paperwork she felt it was off to a good start. "Even with the multiple feedings, burping, and endless diaper changing, I wouldn't trade mornings like these for anything."

"Oh I could think of an activity of two that..."

"Oh hush." Padmé might love that roguish smile of his, but insinuations of that nature had a proper time and place. She sought out her daughter's drowsy-little face and brushed her head with her hand. "Leia's about to fall asleep."

Anakin pulled the wet teething ring from Luke's little fist and then kissed his son's cheek. "I wouldn't count on that lasting too long."

"Neither would I."

Confident that the babies were sleeping for the time being, Anakin and Padmé quietly made their way over to an oval glass table and sat down next to each other. For a few minutes they didn't say a word, choosing to enjoy the quiet and simplicity of being together as a family. Outside their home, Coruscant was as engaging as ever. The slowly rising sun lit the sky, signaling that a new day had begun in earnest. Streams of heavy starship, air taxi, and transport bus traffic filled the skies.

None of that mattered inside these walls.

"Are you worried?" Padmé asked with a gentle nudge of her elbow against his arm.

Anakin sort of shrugged, as if paying her query no mind. Of course he knew what she was referring to. "Not really."

And he wasn't. That much was true. But she knew her husband well enough to know something was bothering him. "You have no way of knowing what the Jedi will do about the Code."

"Neither do you."

"And that's a good thing. It gives us as good of a chance for a positive outcome as any other."

In just two short days the Jedi Council would reveal its decision on what it would do about the Jedi Code. In two short days their secret life might not have to be secret any longer. Or Anakin wouldn't be a Jedi any longer.

"It doesn't matter," he stated firmly, and then with a smile when he took her hand in his. "I have my family, and they come first. All else will be taken in stride."

Being a Jedi meant a great deal to the man she loved, no matter how he tried to make light of it. Padmé was determined that they would enjoy today and not brood. "I'm going to make myself some Cynamon tea. Would you like a cup?"

"Of course." Going about her business with the ingredients, Anakin couldn't help but smile when she reached for two cups on a top shelf that were just out of reach. She glanced over her shoulder, not needing to ask. The cups lifted from their lofty perch, descending into her hands.

"I truly believe every woman needs a Jedi in the home," Padmé teased while brewing the tea.

"I feel so special now."

"I meant for practical reasons," she amended with her back to him. "For me personally, only you will do."

Padmé handed him a steaming cup of Cynamon tea complete with the sprinkles he liked, and then sat down next to him again. "You make the best tea."

"It's astounding to me how you can repair or build just about anything, and yet you cannot make tea at all."

"The Force doesn't grant any one being every skill. I hate to inform you Padmé, but I am not perfect."

She stared at him with her mouth sarcastically agape, eyes wide open. "You're kidding me?"

Sitting up straight with his shoulders set, Anakin sought to let her down gently. "I'm afraid not."

Sipping her tea, Padmé added, "So I married you under false pretenses?"

"You were overwhelmingly in love with me."

"I still am," she confessed sweetly, and then received another kiss as a reward. Suddenly, C3PO appeared at the kitchen's entryway.

"Excuse my intrusion, but there is a HoloNet news program about to run a short segment on Master Anakin. While it does no seem of any great importance I thought you might be interested."

"Uh oh." Anakin didn't like the sound of that. They lived with the ever present fear of their secret life being revealed one day. Anytime their names were mentioned on the HoloNet they worried that someone had finally discovered what they had worked so hard to hide.

Shifting in his chair, Anakin used the Force to manipulate the buttons on the wall-mounted viewing screen, switching it on. The image of an impeccably dressed Utapaun female appeared.

Padmé recognized her immediately. "That's Tylin Sau. She hosts a gossip show my sister watches all the time. A credible reporter is hardly the words I would use to describe her."

With a wave of Anakin's hand the volume increased. The Utapaun's calm, mellow voice carried loud and clear.

"Good Morning Coruscant. As many of you know there are shocking news reports that the Jedi Council might soon be lifting its rules banning Jedi from entering into a romantic relationships. With that in mind we felt it was only fair to discuss the most charismatic, dangerous, and sexy Jedi in the entire galaxy. One Anakin Skywalker."

Padmé rolled her eyes, tongue firmly held in cheek. Next to her, Anakin leaned forward, now thoroughly engrossed in what was being said onscreen. C3PO hung close by as well.

"The Hero of the Clone Wars. The man without fear. The Chosen One. No matter the title, the name Anakin Skywalker screams controversy, mystery, and hotness. He sparks conversation and opinion like no other. Admired by men and wanted by women, he's up until now been the unattainable Jedi everyone wanted. Well ladies, if reports are true in just 48 short hours he might be available."

"She seems quite credible in her assessment of me." Anakin knew not to look at Padmé. Nonetheless, he felt her glare. And it took the Force to suppress the grin he felt coming on.

Tylin Sau sat behind her news desk and continued. "In our most recent HoloNet poll nearly 88 of the nine thousand viewers who voted said that Anakin Skywalker was the one man who they felt could give them a night they would never forget."

"Oh give me a break," Padmé muttered under her breath. Her husband was enjoying this entirely too much. "They don't even know the real you. They're just being shallow. And you should never trust a poll."

Anakin didn't say a word. But he did cover his mouth with his hand. He was smart enough to at least do that.

"What we have done tonight is compile a list of three women our staff felt had the best opportunity to snare the Chosen One," Ms. Sau explained. "First up is the most recognizable model on Coruscant. That's right. We're talking about the beautiful Cesq Mven."

Padmé started laughing so hard she had to grab onto Anakin's arm when the image of the statuesque gray-skinned humanoid-like woman walked a runway during some sort of fashion show. "Ani, I met her once at an evening political function. She would have no interest in you whatsoever."

A note of wounded price clouded his face. "And why is that?"

Knocking him down a peg or two was always fun. "It might have something to do with that fact that she doesn't enjoy the company of males," Padmé explained to a clearly floored Anakin. "Certain things are kept out of the public eye for many reasons, though people behind the scenes know who is doing what. Cesq has a longtime female companion who poses as her bodyguard. It's just not publicly known. They are very much together in every way." Her husband's huff amused her to no end.

"Next on our list is the alluring galactic songstress herself, Voyce."

Anakin groaned at the mention of her name. "I hate her music. It's so fake."

"That's not the only thing that's fake on her," Padmé alluded to the incredibly popular and large chest she boasted. The reporter went on and on about her music awards and lurid relationships with powerful men. "She does present a provocative image."

"She wouldn't rate a second look from me."

"Voyce has been quoted after a recent concert as saying if the Jedi Council lifted its ban on Jedi pursuing romantic relationships the female-led charge after Anakin Skywalker would make the battle with the Separatist forces over Coruscant look like a minor skirmish. And then she said she'd be leading the charge."

"And I'll be waiting for them with a blaster in one hand and yours in my other," Padmé uncharacteristically sounded off. Anakin kissed her cheek hard until she had to push him away. His wink was cute, albeit silly. Padmé ignored the reporter's attempt to explain why the singer would be a match for her Ani until... "Oh my!"

"Our last entry in the Anakin Skywalker sweepstakes is one who might surprise you. The esteemed Senator Padmé Amidala's beauty and strength of character make her a viable candidate for the Chosen One. Though highly opinionated, she's always rated well among our male polls as far as the kind of woman they would want to take home to meet their mothers."

Anakin's laughter only made Padmé angrier every second that passed.

"The good Senator has a well publicized friendship with Anakin Skywalker dating back many years. Her recommendation to this list was the most hotly contested amongst my staff. While some felt she would be the perfect compliment to Anakin's wild side, others felt her serious personality, understated sex appeal, and holier-than-though attitude wouldn't catch the eye of our rogue Jedi. As one staff member said, and I quote. 'Would she even know what to do with his "lightsaber" if she had it'. Unquote."

"Oh I know exactly what to do with his lightsaber," Padmé graced her husband with a vastly sensual expression while grazing her hand up and down his thigh. "No one could possibly wield his lightsaber better than me. Isn't that right?"

Force be merciful, she owned him whenever she looked at him like that. "Absolutely."

"Might I interject for a moment," C3PO announced, looking back and forth between the two. "Master Anakin's light saber is one of the biggest I have ever seen."

Blushing, Padmé ducked her head, not wanting to laugh so loud the children woke up.

"However would you master such a large and imposing weapon? You hands are quite small in fact."

C3PO was priceless in his own way, Padmé surmised. "Those two children over there are testament to my mastery of his lightsaber," she declared with the utmost pride.

Not sure what was going on here, or how terribly he might have misinterpreted what the news reporter had said, C3PO shook his head, turned around, and walked away. "I don't think I shall ever understand human behavior. It makes me happy that I'm a droid. We always make sense."

Anakin and Padmé laughed until they heard the front door chime sound.

"It appears we have a visitor," C3PO noted. "Shall I answer the door?"

Padmé waited on Anakin, who shut his eyes momentarily and then said. "It's Obi-Wan."

"Welcome our guest, 3PO. Thank you." Padmé enjoyed the good feeling of stretching her arms out after walking around with Luke and then noticed the curiously blank expression on her husband's face. Whatever was that about? "Are you alright?" she asked when she rose from her chair.

Anakin did not reply right away as he sensed his master's nervous Force projections.

"Something's troubling Obi-Wan," he declared after a moment, and then followed her into the living room. The look of concern in his wife's eyes failed to draw his attention as another presence... familiar and... he had no clue why his heart was suddenly racing. "It's alright, I'm sure."

An elusive restlessness rippled across the Force-bond Padmé shared with her husband. She wasn't as confident in identifying its meaning, though her skills had greatly improved with his teachings. For the time being she chose to focus on what was in front of her and not what she couldn't comprehend.

Whenever Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi visited their apartment he was welcomed as an extended member of the Skywalker family and thus was greeted with a warm hug from Padmé. "Ben, we've missed you. I trust your investigation went well?"

Obi-Wan pressed a polite kiss to her cheek and then drew back before her. He bowed respectfully. "My results were successful and yet highly unexpected."

"Whatever the results I'm pleased to see you." Anakin embraced his former master. He chose not to pry into the serious mood Obi-Wan seemed to be in.

Without his trademark smirking grin, Obi-Wan appeared very tense. That wasn't like him at all. Padmé hoped that he was alright. "We just fed the twins and thankfully they've fallen asleep. Would you like to see them? Can I fix you something to eat? Perhaps something to drink?"

"I'm afraid I need to talk to you about a matter of the utmost importance." Obi-Wan rubbed at his beard while deep in thought. Having not made an effort to shield his feelings from Anakin, nor Padmé, whom he suspected was Force-sensitive in some way, he didn't see the need to stress this wasn't a social call. "Both of you, actually." Suddenly, he realized he had forgotten his manners. "I apologize for my interruption. I should have communicated with you earlier before coming over unannounced."

"You never need to do that, Ben. You are always welcome here." Sparing a glance between the two Jedi, Padmé sensed perhaps the men needed a moment alone. It also didn't sit well with her that Obi-Wan sounded far too somber this morning. Something was weighing heavily on his mind. "Come with me 3PO. We'll take the twins to the nursery."

"Thank you, my la... Padmé," Obi-Wan managed a small smile despite his reasons for coming over. Padmé returned it, appreciative that at long last he was able to address her as a close friend. She exited the room, leaving him alone with Anakin.

While dreading the thought of any separation from his family, Anakin accepted that the commitment he made to the Jedi was for life. From the moment he sensed Obi-Wan's presence, the calm that surrounded him this morning began to crumble. "Can I assume a very dangerous mission has been handed to us? Perhaps one that will keep us away from Coruscant for an undetermined amount of time?"

"I wish it were that simple my friend."

Anakin didn't like the sound of that at all. "Is this Jedi business?"

"It's personal," Obi-Wan explained. "But yes, it is associated with Jedi business."

Anakin pressed the issue no further, seeing as how Obi-Wan seemed to be anxiously awaiting Padmé's return. If his visit involved yet another potential threat to his wife's life, heads would roll. Literally.

Having quickly changed into a beautiful emerald green dress, Padmé entered the living room and proceeded to take her place at Anakin's side. She gestured for Obi-Wan to take a seat on the circular couch. "Leia needed a little singing when she threatened to wake up. Lucky for us she's been easy to deal with this morning."

Obi-Wan had never missed an opportunity to see the twins he loved so dearly. The fact that he had not even asked about them worried her a great deal. "Ben, if you've come here with bad news please tell us what it is. There is no need to stall."

Never one to avoid things, Obi-Wan had always appreciated that about Padmé. He struggled with how to proceed. Coming to grips with the things he'd learned in the last few days hadn't been easy for him. For them it would be much worse. "I assure you the news I bring is not bad. But I must warn you, it is very shocking. I ask that you give me time to detail all the facts."

When Anakin offered no reply Padmé sensed a fear rising within him. More than anything else it was a fear of the unknown. "Of course, Ben."

"Master Windu's thorough investigation into Palpatine's dealings since before the invasion of Naboo, all the way to the point of his death, have uncovered startling new information. We have confirmed that Count Dooku was the one who erased all of the information on planet Kamino from the Jedi Archive. He did this before he left the Order. In addition, he posed as the deceased Master Sifo Dyas when he ordered the clone army years ago."

Padmé and Anakin gave him their undivided attention.

"It seems Count Dooku copied many ancient scriptures and journals. According to Mas Amedda, Palpatine was particularly interested in the prophecy of the Chosen One. When it was discovered that the Chosen One had been located at last and that he would have the ability to bring balance to the Force, Palpatine made plans to seize that power."

"By seducing my husband to the dark side," Padmé concluded. "He failed."

A fact Obi-Wan praised the Force for every day. "Palpatine liked to cover all his bases. He at least considered the possibility of failure enough to have a back-up plan."

Anakin's heart suddenly sank into the pit of his stomach. "Please don't tell me I was cloned?"

"No... no, you were not cloned." Obi-Wan chose his words carefully. "Anakin, I love you like a brother. I love your family like my own. I would give my life for any of you. So, I want you to know that what I am about to tell you, I have researched to the best of my abilities. I have consulted trusted colleagues to verify things I am not well versed in. I would never, ever bring information like what I am about to reveal to you without having exhausted every possibility."

There was more. Anakin sensed something just over the horizon. Something pivotal and life changing. He unconsciously reached for Padmé's hand, needing her touch to ground him.

"Anakin, I officially interrogated Mas Amedda and Kamino Prime Minister Lama Su. As you both know they have been charged with serious enough crimes against the Republic to warrant the death penalty. Both offered me information that they claimed would be valuable enough to grant them amnesty from execution. Mas Amedda in particular told me something that Lama Su authenticated. Three days ago I personally escorted her back to Tipoca City to discover the truth."

"And that truth was?"

Obi-Wan saw no way to break this to him gently so he decided to do it straightforward. "Palpatine feared that if you were proven to be the Chosen One and he failed in turning you to the Darkside you would someday destroy him. To that end about a year before we returned to Coruscant and were assigned to safeguard Padmé after the attempt on her life on the landing platform, a small team of specially designed clone soldiers ventured to Tatooine and abducted your mother."

A searing hate rose within Anakin like a tide of fire. "Are you telling me Palpatine was responsible for my mother being taken by the sand people?"

"Yes and no." Obi-Wan continued in as calm and even of a tone as possible. "Shmi did not conceive you with a man, Anakin. You were a virgin birth. A mystery of the Force itself. To that end Palpatine wished to study your mother. He wanted to know if there was anything special about her that he could use." It was now or never. "The clone team captured Shmi from the Tusken Raiders without their knowledge and replaced her with a clone."

"What?" Anakin gasped in a haunted voice. He trembled beside Padmé, her small hand his only anchor to this world.

"The woman you found in the Tusken camp was a clone of your mother. Shmi did not die in your arms."

"I would have known!" Anakin roared until Padmé's gentle tug on his arm calmed him. He stood and began furiously pacing the room. "I was there. I saw her. I would have known if that wasn't my mother."

Obi-Wan regarded Padmé for how to proceed. She gave a nod that it was alright. She knew Anakin best. "You saw your mother dying. She'd been tortured and was bleeding in your arms. Your emotions clouded your judgment. No one expects you to have been thinking about anything but what was in front of you."

This was utter madness. Insanity! Anakin could not believe he was hearing any of this. "I would know," he repeated through a tightly clenched jaw as the color faded from his cheeks. His throat constricted painfully. "I would know."

Unable to sense what she didn't expect to find, which was dishonesty or treachery from Obi-Wan, Padmé questioned, "What proof do you have?"

There was no easy way to reveal the unbelievable. Obi-Wan felt the winds of change blowing all around him. Nothing would ever be the same again. "Prime Minister Lama Su told me Shmi was being held against her will in Kamino's neighboring Rothana system. She'd been held captive there for four and a half years. Lama Su took me to her, Anakin. I found Shmi. She is unharmed, but hasn't been privy to anything that has happened since her abduction. She was isolated from news of the galaxy, her family, and the war."

"You're crazy!" Anakin barked angrily. He stalked toward his former master. "That is not possible. My mother is dead. Someone is playing some sick game with my life, but rest assured I will find out who and..."

"Ani."

Padmé's soft voice effortlessly extinguished the dragon's fire inside him. "My mother is dead." He motioned toward Obi-Wan. "You know what her death did to me. You know all of it now. How could you bring this lie to me?"

"Because it is no lie," Obi-Wan assured him to the best of his ability. "I have run several DNA tests on Shmi myself. I have interviewed her extensively. Upon returning to Coruscant I brought her to Master Yoda. You know there is no Force-being alive with his depth of perception. He meditated with her. His conclusion is that she is Shmi Skywalker." He exhaled a deep breath. "I know how impossible this all sounds."

"No, you don't."

Padmé cautiously approached her husband from behind. She gently rested her hand on his shoulder and then turned his body around so that she could look into his eyes. "Love, Obi-Wan would not ever hurt you this way if he wasn't sure."

Anakin was appalled that she would even suggest... "You believe him?"

"I believe in him. I believe he is capable, intelligent, trustworthy, and that he loves us. He deserves the benefit of the doubt."

"Anakin, there's more." Obi-Wan felt his former padawan's icy stare fall upon him. "Shmi is here. She's in the hallway. She wants to see you."

Anakin stood mute with disbelief clouding his eyes. Air fled his lungs in a rush. He couldn't breathe as if he were suffocating. Shmi's death killed a part of him even his beloved Padmé could not fill. Her loss was an open wound that would never heal. Whomever was perpetrating this scheme directed at him would pay a most brutal price. "I could bring her..."

"No!"

The unbearable agony her husband felt coursed through Padmé as well. She sensed his unwillingness to even consider the possibility. She knew what rehashing this terrible pain could cost him. "Love, if Obi-Wan does have proof we have to allow him to present it."

Anakin glared at her as though she were a traitor and then without saying another word left room.

Taking her own dear time to process things, Padmé looked to Obi-Wan. "Are you sure?"

"I am as sure as I could possibly be. I have done all that I could think to do and all that was suggested to me by those I respect. I would never hurt Anakin on purpose. I truly feel the woman in the hallway is his mother."

If Shmi were alive Padmé knew Anakin would fight believing it with all that he had. If it was a lie then someone wanted to hurt her husband in the worst possible way. Either way they needed to know the truth. "Bring her in. I'm going to talk to Anakin."

Padmé fled the living room and quickly found Anakin in their bedroom peering out over Coruscant's dizzying air traffic. His shoulders were set hard, as if he'd closed himself off so that he couldn't be hurt. She sensed his eyes were shut but that he was aware she was there. "Do you remember when I told you that I knew the perfect room for the children at the Lake Retreat on Naboo?"

Her softly spoken words illuminated memories from his subconscious. He had just returned to her from the Outer Rim Sieges and learned he was going to be a father. His joy at seeing her again amplified a thousand fold when she revealed her pregnancy.

"The room overlooking the garden was my favorite. I knew it would make the most beautiful nursery. I dreamed of that room, Ani." Padmé did not touch him, nor did she expect a reply just yet. "When we arrived on Naboo, and the babies were born, you not only painted the entire room yourself, you installed larger windows to allow in more sunlight and then built that lovely patio for us to enjoy Naboo's wonderful weather." She continued, "I know you remember that. You told me you would never forget the look on my face when I saw all that you had done. You made my dreams come true that day and every day since."

She watched him exhale deeply. His hands clenched in fists at his sides. He was in such pain, all of it shared with her, and so she reached out to him not by touch, but with her heart. "Do you remember three months into the war when you returned to Coruscant for a weekend? We had such hope that the war was going to end when we learned that Count Dooku had agreed to face to face negotiations with Palpatine." The gentle smile that lifted her lips recalled how happy they were. "We laughed and made love all night long. We were so sure that the war was about to come to an end, and then we could decide on what we were going to do with the rest of our lives."

Padmé came around him to his right side, her back to the broad ledge. "Do you remember how disappointed we were when we learned the meeting was a ruse? That it was supposed to be a means to assassinate Palpatine."

Anakin held his fiery anger and deep-seeded fear close to his heart... though she still found a way to touch him.

"We sat in the dark for an hour and didn't say a word to each other. You were leaving in the morning. Do you remember how hard I cried in your arms? Do you remember how bad it hurt to leave me behind?" Her hand lifted to caress his cheek; confident he would not... could not turn her away. His eyes opened to her, misty and filled with pain. "We have lived our small dreams and survived our terrible nightmares, Ani. No matter the outcome we can survive this as well."

"She died in my arms, Padmé." He swallowed deep in the back of his throat and then gazed into her warm brown eyes. "She said my name. She touched my face, and then she passed away. After that I lost all control I had over myself. I lashed out and murdered every living thing I saw. That's what my mother's death awakened in me. It awakened the dragon inside me. One I have struggled to hold in check ever since."

"Your actions were one of intense grief and hatred for those who you felt tortured and killed your mother. Right or wrong you were in a very dark place. I don't know if I or anyone else could safely say what we would have done if we were in that same situation. But what I do know is that you survived it. You did not fall into darkness the way Palpatine wanted you too. You found your way back to me despite his manipulations."

"He promised many influential people more wealth and power than they could possibly imagine in exchange for favors. Those same people are now being hunted all over the galaxy by the Jedi for crimes against the Republic. Their assets have been frozen. Their associates have turned on them. They have lost everything." Anakin had to make her see the truth. He just had too. "Do you know the one thing they all have in common?"

"They all know it was you who killed Palpatine."

"Exactly. I cost them everything Palpatine promised. He could have told them anything about me. This could be one big revenge plot against me."

"Or it could be a miracle."

Sometimes she could be exasperating. "How can you say that?"

"Because there are two miracles just down the hall," she reminded him. "I almost died during child birth. To this day all that I remember is holding your hand and the severe pain slowly fading away. That was a miracle."

"But this!" he cried out, turning from her with his hand swiping over his face. "This is too much. I found my mother's dead body. I flew her across the desert back to the Lars' homestead. I dug her grave with my own two hands. I covered it with dirt myself."

"We have all been fooled before."

"Why are you so confident we are not being fooled now?"

"I'm not. I'm simply open to any possibility, and I have the utmost faith in Obi-Wan. He loves our family. He loves you. He is not easily decieved, nor does he lack intelligence or cunning. If he feels he has found Shmi you can rest assured he has brought proof with him. Proof that we can double and triple check ourselves."

His angel held such everlasting hope within her that sometimes its innocence blinded him. "This is a lie, Padmé."

"Then let us to prove it. But we cannot act as if Obi-Wan isn't someone we trust with our lives." A maelstrom of conflicting emotions flowed between them, as Padmé experienced elements of the Force she had never dreamed existed. "I am with you always."

That alone gave him incentive to make it through the three and a half year war. It served as his best reason to get up in the morning. For her... "Where is Obi-Wan?"

"I asked him to bring Shmi in. They are waiting for us."

"When this is proven to be a plot against me I will make whoever is responsible pay."

"I understand." Padmé knew he sensed her fear as she felt his utter conviction. "They're waiting for us."

Anakin accepted his wife's extended hand, and she led him back into the living room. They rounded the corner hallway as if in slow motion. His heart simply stopped the moment he saw... saw 'her' standing there. Mercy for his soul, she looked as he remembered her. As he had dreamed and grieved for her every time he shut his eyes.

When the tears threatened to fall he willed them back while stonewalling his heart. There was no way this woman... her hair... her loving face... No! He let the cold settle around his spirit.

Anakin slowly walked toward Shmi wearing a grimace as viciously hard as Palpatine's faced before he died. "Who are you?"

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**The End of Chapter 1**


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: "Echoes of the Dearly Departed" (2/4) **

**Written by: Shawn**

**Summary: Is the return of Shmi Skywalker a miracle or a nightmare?**

**Category: Drama Rating: PG-13 for very mild sensuality Ship: Anakin and Padmé Skywalker forever**

**Timeline/Spoilers: Revenge of the Sith AU from the moment Mace Windu allows Anakin to accompany him when he goes to arrests Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. The fight that ensued ended with Palpatine being killed. Anakin never turned to the dark side. The official investigation into everything and everyone associated with Palpatine has been ongoing for six months following Revenge of the Sith. Anakin and Padmé are still married in secret, but Obi-Wan knows about and has accepted it. The Jedi Council, following its near massacre at the hands of Palpatine is reevaluating the Jedi Code. No official decision has been made as of yet.**

**Disclaimer: George Lucas and Lucasfilm own everything.**

**Email:**

**Authors Notes 1: Luke and Leia Skywalker were born on Naboo and are six months old.**

**Authors Notes 2: Padmé confided in Queen Apailana concerning her post as Senator of Naboo. Due to her impeccable service record, intelligence, and the support of other key Senators she has been allowed to remain the Senator for Naboo. Her post is secure if and when it is revealed that she is married to Anakin.**

**Authors Notes 3: I have extended this story to four chapters instead of two.**

**Special Thanks: To my Jedi Master beta readers Anne and Jennifer. You gals are the very best of the best. bows**

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**Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will find them gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer. - Rainer Maria Rilke**

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**Officially: Senator Padmé Amidala's apartment The hallway outside the apartment Located in the Republic Plaza Galactic City, Coruscant**

Life's mysterious poetry was about to add a new verse to life of Shmi Skywalker.

She nervously paced the immense curving hallway outside Senator Padmé Amidala's luxurious apartment. For the tenth time since she walked off the turbo lift with Master Kenobi she smoothed her hands down her simple brown dress in an effort to calm her restlessness. Her heart sounded a rapid beat beneath her chest as her eyes darted to the smooth flimsiplast door and then back to the deep-red carpeted floor.

Fourteen years of separation from her beloved son was about to come to an end at long last.

With no father to compare him to, Shmi had imagined over a thousand times how tall he might have grown, or how handsome he had become. She had only recently learned that the brutal Clone Wars had even taken place, much less had ended in the past year. The one thousand, two hundred and forty-six day conflict saw her son fighting on the front lines from the very beginning.

How had the experience changed him? What horrors had he seen? What of the arm he lost? Would she recognize him anywhere, or would he be someone altogether different?

Thankfully, Obi-Wan had told her that Anakin was his very best friend and most trusted ally. Fearless, courageous, and loyal were the words often used by the Jedi Master to describe her son. He sounded so genuine each time he used them that she couldn't help but to be proud. Her son's character validated the emotional pain her heart endured when she sent him away to fulfill his destiny.

Her sacrifice hadn't been in vain.

Anakin Skywalker became a Jedi Knight, and if Obi-Wan's beliefs were true, he would soon attain mastery. And yet the title Jedi Master paled in comparison to husband and father.

Enter the esteemed Senator Padmé Naberrie Amidala of Naboo.

As often as Shmi could, after Qui-Gonn had left Tattoine with her son, she followed the HoloNet broadcasts. News of his death upset her a great deal, though he died heroically. He would forever remain a part of her life as he led Anakin on his first steps toward his destiny. Whenever the name Obi-Wan Kenobi or Senator Amidala was mentioned over a broadcast her ears perked up. She hung on every word, desperate to keep track of the people who had been with her son when he left her.

Having listened to Senator Amidala give several powerful speeches in the Galactic Senate over the HoloNet, Shmi's respect and admiration for the fearless young woman grew by leaps and bounds. Somewhere along to way Anakin had won her heart. They had fallen so deeply in love with each other that Obi-Wan knew with a certainly they were meant to be together. He had sensed their strong bond through the Force, so similar at times he'd tried to Force-perceive which of them would round a corner first so that he could tell them apart.

He no longer could.

Anakin and Padmé shared a powerful love, the kind Shmi had only experienced at a moderately advanced age, and her son had found relatively young. Then again, wearing a mother's smile, she knew that he was always ahead of his time.

And what of Luke and Leia? Would they be ahead of their time? Were they destined to become Knights of the Republic? Do they have their mother's eyes or their father's smile? Did Anakin whisper her name to them when he and his wife put them to sleep at night?

Shmi longed to see them. To hold them close to her chest and kiss them and let them know she had loved them before she knew they existed and would until the day she was no more.

Her precious grandchildren.

"Force be praised," Shmi chanted softly under her breath, again finding solace in Coruscant's vibrant, limitless skyline. She gazed out of the huge transparisteel-lined visor overlooking Galactic City and couldn't help a curiously whimsical appraisal of her face in its reflection. Smiling, she wondered if she looked like a grandmother.

She pushed those frivolous thoughts aside and studied the multi-layered clouds and distant blue-white sun. Its beauty astounded her as it illuminated and shadowed the bottomless canyons of durasteel and purmacrete buildings that seemed to stretch on into infinity.

Suddenly, Shmi felt small and unimportant on a world like Coruscant. Humble beginnings barely scratched the surface of the life of a slave on Tattoine. The endless cityscape of Galactic City and its never-ending streams of speeder traffic intimidated her to some degree, though none of it mattered because she would soon be reunited with her son. Her arms would know the feel of him again. The little boy she sent away for the good of the galaxy was now the man who saved it. Her reward, despite all that she'd had to endure, was upon her.

At a measured pace, Shmi approached the door again, and then turned away. She reminded herself of what Obi-wan had warned her might happen. Anakin had been manipulated, used, and betrayed by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine for many years and news of this kind needed to be broken to him as gently as possible. He'd had trouble coming to grips with what he might have become had Palpatine succeeded in turning him to the Darkside. What little Obi-Wan had explained to her about the Darkside sent chills up and down her spine.

Anakin was to become the violent fist of a New Republic, controlled by the Sith Lord. The Jedi were to be massacred, and he was to play a major role in its destruction. He had touched a deadly cold side of himself long ago when he found her tortured, dying body in that Tusken camp. Red rage flared in the pit of Shmi's stomach over the gut-wrenching pain he must have experienced when she died in his arms.

For him to have to bury her must have killed a part of him. Obi Wan said he lost control of himself and... she couldn't quite make herself face the possibility that her little boy, with the widest smile in the galaxy, could be capable of...

But Palpatine knew. He recognized Anakin's power, his recklessness, and his utter distaste for a Jedi Code he did not grow up with, the preset Jedi rules that denied him what he loved and felt he had earned time and time again. Palpatine fed his anger with lies and fanned the winds of his ambition with greedy opportunity. All done in the guise of a wise confidant. The Supreme Chancellor filled in as the one thing Anakin did not have at that tumultuous time in his life.

A true father figure.

The more Shmi learned about the Sith Lord and his evil manipulations the more she had to accept that her reunion with her son might not go the way she had always dreamed. He'd been used so many times that her return from the dead was likely to be met with fierce objection.

Nonetheless, her optimism hadn't waned. Her little boy would ask his questions and receive his answers. When proof positive was undeniable he will not turn her away. However much he'd changed, eventually his heart would recognize her. His heart grew inside her first. The connection they shared eclipsed the Force itself.

"Shmi?"

Her lungs inhaled a long, deep breath to prepare herself for what was to come. Shmi favored the Jedi Master with a polite nod. "Yes, Obi-Wan?" He approached her while slowly rubbing his beard. She imagined he did that often when he was unsure of something.

"Padmé is speaking with Anakin privately. I have faith she will get through to him."

"He truly loves her, doesn't he?"

"Padmé is life to your son. If she cannot change his mind there is no hope at all."

"I look forward to getting to know her. She must be an amazing woman." Shmi allowed herself a small smile, even while steeling herself for the battle at hand. "What do you want me to do?"

"Let's go inside. He will emerge soon enough, I'm sure."

"How did he take the news?" Obi-Wan's heavy sigh said it all. She considered that she had better lower her expectations a bit. "He does not believe I am who you say I am, does he?"

"Shmi, you must understand, Anakin has never gotten over your death. It has haunted him every step of his life. He has grieved and grieved for you and it hasn't ended. To open himself up to this possibility and then to find out it's a plot against him..." Obi-Wan paused as the weight of his friend's pain bore down on him. "Anakin fears losing control. He is a very powerful man. More than that, he fears loss with every fiber of his being."

"Then it makes sense to me that his wound had not healed since I am not dead. However long it takes for him to realize that it is irrelevant. The healing process will begin now. Time will take care of the rest."

Shmi's determined expression conveyed an inner toughness that walked hand-in-hand with her kind, gentle nature. No matter the tenor of her voice in any given situation if a mother's child is in pain then the Force itself would fail to shake her resolve to remove that pain. Obi-Wan knew that was there only hope. "Let's go inside."

Shmi followed Obi-Wan through the door and was confronted by the most lavish apartment she had ever seen in her entire life. The extensive vaulted ceiling gave off a majestic quality, while the sheer size of the living room alone could encompass two and a half of the living quarters she and Anakin lived in on Tattoine. The exotic furniture must have cost a fortune alone. The broad curving veranda up ahead presented an absolutely amazing view of Coruscant. It was easy to make out the Jedi Temple in the distance.

She swallowed deep in the back of her throat and suddenly felt a little underdressed.

And then she saw him.

Shmi simply could not breathe as her son walked into view. Oh the joyful sight of him again... Anakin looked so strong and powerful. She immediately noted that he towered over everyone in the room. His long, sun-streaked hair framed his strong, handsome face. The burn scar on his high cheek reminded her of the war he had survived. He moved with the confident grace of an accomplished warrior, all the while possessing an aura of immense strength and equal sadness.

As her gaze flickered back to her son's face, his jaw locked tight. The expression of brief wonder she had noticed when he first saw her faded away into something menacingly angry. He stalked toward her as if he were about to breathe fire.

"Who are you?"

Over his shoulder stood the very beautiful Padme Skywalker. Gone was the young girl Shmi somewhat remembered from all those years ago, and in her place stood an obviously accomplished woman, a fit match for her son. "Despite your reservations I am Shmi Skywalker, your mother."

"Liar."

Anakin's softly bitter tone only underlined the severe hurt he had suffered in his life. Shmi's heart overflowed with compassion for him. "No, I am not lying. I have never lied to you, and I never will."

Anakin drove the warmth of her smile and gentle way she spoke from his heart. "How were you abducted from Tattoine?"

The stern sound of his voice gave the impression of an interrogation. Shmi counted herself lucky that he at least was willing to listen. "Early one morning I left out to gather mushrooms that collected on the moisture vaporators. Cliegg and I sold them at the local market on the weekend for extra credits. A band of Tusken Raiders came out of nowhere and blindfolded me. My arms and legs were bound, and then I was taken to their camp in the mountains and left alone in a tent for hours before someone entered and injected me with something that caused me to lose consciousness. I never saw what the person looked like or heard them utter a single word. When I woke up I was on an examination table. Three med-droids took samples of my blood."

"Did they hurt you?"

His attempt to mask his worry with a scowl gave Shmi some hope. She could read his true emotions even when he tried his best to hide him. Thankfully, that had not changed. "No, they did not hurt me. They left me clean clothes and told me that someone would be in shortly to speak with me. Minutes later a Kaminoan named Fay Lu entered the room and told me I had been specially chosen for a project that might one day heal a number of deadly diseases because of a rare gene in my blood. I told them to keep the samples, as I wanted to go home. They said that had to keep me here because the fate of many, many lives were at stake. They told me I would only be there a couple of weeks. Since I didn't know where I was and had no way to fight them or contact anyone for help the best thing I could think of to do was simply comply."

"We're you alone?"

"I was told there were other 'patients' as Fay Su called us, but I never saw or spoke to any of them. In fact, in the past four and a half years I spent there I only saw Fay Su, the med droids, and hooded security personal who never said a word."

Reaching out with the Force, Anakin couldn't detect a note of treachery or deceit coming from her. He sensed that Obi-Wan, and even Padmé, as much as she could, were also channeling the Force to gauge her trustworthiness. How painfully surreal it felt to be standing here in front of her again and have it all be a lie. Whoever was doing this to him was going to die. "How were you treated?"

Shmi had to force herself to speak because the sight of him left her nearly speechless. "I was fed three times daily. My quarters were attended to by a janitorial droid twice a week, and I was constantly provided with clean clothing. I was never forced to do anything against my will except stay there. All access to the HoloNet was forbidden. My captors did not want me to know anything about the goings on in the galaxy. I had access to a large library of books, but nothing recent. I didn't have anyone to talk to or spend time with. I was isolated from the universe against my will, Ani."

"DO NOT CALL ME THAT!" A red haze came over Anakin until his wife's small hand touched his forearm. The imposter seemed taken back by his sudden outburst, though she quickly recovered.

"I'm sorry," Shmi offered.

Could she be telling the... Anakin took an unsteady step backward, and then began pacing the room. He felt all eyes focused squarely on him. "Did you ever try to escape?"

"Several times," Shmi explained. "Each time I was brought back to my quarters. I was never able to steal a blaster nor did I know where to go due to the facility being so big and well guarded. But yes, I did everything in my power to escape."

Loneliness swept over Anakin as he drank in the emotion of this woman. She had been used and held against her will for such a long time. Then just as quickly he throttled himself for giving her a moment's trust. "Tell me about Fay Su?"

"There is very little I can tell you about her. She never befriended me, as much as told me what to expect and why I was there. She never revealed anything about herself, who she was working for, or even the name of where I was being kept."

"Anakin," Obi-Wan called out. "The facility was owned by technologists of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. They were designing and prepping multi-armed space-droids to begin construction on Palpatine's ultimate weapon known as the 'Death Star'. An orbital battle station capable of destroying a planet with a single blast. Mas Amedda told me that Palpatine thought of the base Shmi was held on as his most important asset."

Padmé respectfully held her peace as she observed the tense interplay between mother and son. Perhaps in the months since she'd become a mother she'd developed something not only of the Force, but a certain sixth sense. She had, in the few short minutes in Shmi's presence, come to the conclusion that this woman, whomever she is proven to be, believed what she was saying was the truth. Her heart worried over what this was doing to her husband, and what it still might do.

While silently staring at the woman claiming to be his mother, Anakin had made as much peace as he ever thought he would be able to over her death. Her story was corroborated by evidence and sworn testimony in the face of execution. Obi-Wan and Yoda believed she was who she said she was. But how could he? She died in his arms, and none of them where there to see her broken body. "What was C3PO supposed to be originally?"

Shmi was surprised that he was trying to test her. Of course he would want to know if she knew things only Shmi could know. "You intended for C3P0 to be a sentient hover-barge for assisting me, only when you didn't have all the parts you needed you used the engine from your first speeder. Then you took all those rusted droid components Watto told you to throw out and built 3PO."

Anakin's face didn't need to betray the fact that she was telling the truth. "How did I get the power converter for my first speeder?"

"You didn't. I talked to a kindly old Catharian and traded him my mother's jeweled bracelet."

"What was his name?"

"Bartok."

"You're lying. You told me you saved up money from doing odd jobs to pay for it."

"You were eight years old and had no real knowledge of finance. There were no odd jobs to do for extra credits. We were slaves. Any credits we earned were confiscated by Watto, if not paid directly to him. But I knew you wanted to race speeders, and I wanted you to have your dream. You were denied so much as a child, but I could not deny you that."

Anakin's throat constricted painfully as he struggled to hold onto his anger and feelings of doubt. He remembered how much she loved D'mi's bracelet and always talked about it. But she loved him more... How could this be real? He just didn't know.

"What did you always tell me before I fell asleep?" he asked rather faintly. When Shmi approached him he did not move away from her.

"That you are my precious miracle, and my love for you is without end." Shmi smiled through tears while adding, "And that if you don't fall asleep in the next ten minutes your speeder is going to mysteriously vanish."

The memory of finding his mother's bloody, broken body choked the very breath from his lungs even now. Afterward he had mindlessly slaughtered every living thing he came into contact with. How was he to make peace with the loving voice he knew belonged to his mother being spoken in his presence again? How could this women look at him the way Shmi did? And now as she lifted her hand to caress his face with a precious, familiar touch how could he ever lose her again?

"No," Anakin swore upon backing away from her outstretched hand. "I... I need some air. I'm..." He glanced apologetically at Padmé, who simply nodded her understanding. "I'll be back."

Obi-Wan watched Anakin stalk toward the veranda and his Jedi starfighter no doubt. "I'll go with him."

"Please do," Padmé said, and as he left she found herself alone with Shmi. Coming face to face with her, Mrs. Skywalker declared, "If you are lying... if this is some trick or a revenge plot against my husband, I swear I will kill you myself."

Padmé's short stature brilliantly concealed the fearless warrior within. Despite the harshness of her tone, there was no doubt her son had found his champion. Shmi knew that there was no more deadly foe in the entire galaxy than a woman protecting her family. "I assure you I am not lying nor am I working for anyone to hurt Anakin. I would never betray my son that way. I swear to you I have been held against my will for the past four years."

Her husband's gentle, caring eyes were reflected in Shmi's pleading gaze. Nonetheless, Padmé regarded her cautiously. "For your sake I hope you are telling me the truth. Anakin was crushed when he found his mother dying in that Tusken camp. The horror of that moment still lives with him even to this day, as well as his actions afterward."

"The massacre?" Shmi's voice broke as Padmé turned her face away, obviously shaken by the mere mention of what Anakin had done. "How... how could he have..."

"You don't know him," Padmé interrupted her, and then wrapped her arms around herself to ward off a sudden chill. Her throat tightened as the painful memory of that dark day on Tattoine swept over her. "Anakin is a very complex man. Self-control is a major source of concern for him. He can be violently provoked by anger and grief. Palpatine recognized that trait. He cultivated and encouraged it until my husband almost lost everything he held dear."

"But Anakin conquered his demons?"

"Barely," Padmé exhaled long sigh, ever mindful of how close she had been to losing Anakin forever. She felt Shmi approach her from behind. Standing with the only woman her husband loved before her felt surreal in some strangely profound way. "You have to understand why we are so weary of believing you due to the constant danger that surrounds our lives."

Shmi didn't need a Force-user's uncanny abilities to see how her presence affected Padmé. "Please help me to understand?"

Padmé, her thoughts and feelings a jumble of mixed emotions, slowly walked across the room from Shmi. If she felt this way then what was her Ani going through?

"Supreme Chancellor Palpatine was prepared to issue a secret order implanted inside the minds of each and every Republic clone soldier since its conception. That order was to be the immediate murder of every Jedi in the galaxy. He planned to completely wipe out Jedi Order, all the while having the entire military under his total control. Regional governors loyal only to him had already been positioned on every single world with a full regiment of heavily armed troops. His intentions were to turn the democratic Republic into his own personal empire where all freedoms would be abolished except what he dictated."

Shmi quietly held her peace while listening to Padmé.

"Palpatine could not have prepared for this without the help of some very powerful and influential individuals. He eagerly sought the morally corrupt, people devoid of compassion who lusted for more power at any expense."

Padmé came to a halt before Shmi once more. "These individuals were promised more wealth and influence than they had ever dreamed of having before. They would be above any law save Palpatine's. They would answer to no one except their Emperor."

"What became of these individuals?"

In her darker inner thoughts, Padmé wished death on all of them now that her innocent children were born. She never feared attempts on her own life, and she held her defiant ground fiercely. But those that would harm her children... "When Anakin killed Palpatine his entire political cabinet was arrested immediately on various counts of high treason against the Republic. The Jedi Council began intense formal investigations into everyone associated with them. It's well known that cowards have loose lips, so the first of them who were taken into custody begged for exemption from execution because they knew once the Jedi were done with their investigation they would all qualify for the death penalty. When interim Supreme Chancellor Organa ordered the assets of all those individuals loyal to Palpatine frozen they knew who to blame for their misfortune."

Padmé continued, "Those loyal to Palpatine were promised power absolute in his new Empire. Their best-laid plans are now in ruins. They are cut off from their wealth and face execution if they are found guilty. The Jedi are relentlessly bearing down hard on their organizations and anyone associated with them. For many of them, being backed into a corner means only one thing. They're turning on each other. Others want revenge on Anakin and would strike at my husband in any way that would hurt him the most."

Angry, vengeful beings plotted against her son in secret, wishing death upon any joy that he had. "You and the children?" Shmi's voice trembled softly as that dark conclusion fell upon her.

Padmé could barely speak as the air hot choked in her lungs. "Yes."

The immense living room seemed to close in around them. Shmi's face softened as she gazed at Padmé. She did not envy the esteemed Senator, though her admiration for her grew by the second. "You live with such fear."

Something of a sad, bitter laugh escaped Padmé's lips. "Anakin's life story has been spun into some sort of a legendary tale by the HoloNet. It's common knowledge how he was raised by his mother and given to the Jedi for training. He was discovered to be the Chosen One who would bring balance to the Force. All he ever wanted was to find an inner peace for his troubled soul and freedom for you."

Padmé sensed nothing but compassion in Shmi's feelings toward her. The Force softly echoed it. "We hope his enemies don't know about me and the children, but we can never be sure. Our marriage is forbidden by the Jedi Code, with only a very select few people who know the truth about us. What we are sure of is that my husband's enemies do know about you. It's been reported Shmi Skywalker passed away just before the Clone Wars began. Those who blame Anakin for losing everything might seek to hurt him in the worst way possible through you."

At a loss for words, Shmi weakly offered, "I'm... I'm so sorry."

Padmé lifted a calm, gentle hand to her shoulder. "Trust me when I say that with all my heart I want you to be who you say you are. For my Ani to have his mother again..." The joy her husband would feel left her breathless. "Anakin has many enemies who would seek vengeance for Palpatine's death. Hidden communications have been intercepted from those seeking to place a bounty on his head."

Shivers of fear wracked Shmi's body. "To kill him?"

"Yes," Padmé replied. "Two have tried already."

"Have they been arrested?"

Padmé paused before answering. Shmi's question sparked curiosity within her. If this truly were Shmi Skywalker then all that she would know about her son would be her memories of him as a young boy and her hopes for the man he would grow into. She seemed undone by the thought of how capable of violence he truly was.

"There was nothing left to arrest," Padmé declared in a serious tone as the mood shifted in the room. Shmi didn't blink. She couldn't. "Anakin killed them both."

Unshed tears filled Shmi's eyes as her heart pounded a sad rhythm inside her chest. The fears her son's family lived with were overwhelming to her in that she had no reference point for such things. This was all so beyond her comprehension, and yet she couldn't help but to understand Anakin's predicament. His disbelief stemmed from something far greater than simply not wanting to believe she had returned from the dead. He had his own family to worry about and the ever-present danger they faced.

When Shmi lifted her hand to her face, covering her mouth in a pose of sincerity, Padmé observed her, not only visually, but also with an extension of her senses through the Force. While her perception was far from being as attuned as Anakin's, she had honed her skills enough to where she trusted them.

Padmé was taken aback by the overwhelming compassion that flowed from Shmi, who began to sob in her hands. That show of true pain left her only one course of action.

Shmi was surprised when Padmé tenderly embraced her, offering comfort to a woman who had gone so long without such a luxury. "I'm so sorry for any pain my being here has caused you, Padmé. My intention was to never hurt my son or your family. I only hoped to see him again and find him safe and sound. I wished for nothing more than that."

Tears marked a face so similar to her husband's that the sight alone was stunning. "I believe you," Padmé offered at last, holding her arms around Shmi while she wept.

"This is all so overwhelming to me. I only found out yesterday that my husband Cliegg passed away two years ago. I haven't had time to grieve for him at all."

Everyone had a breaking point, even someone as strong as Shmi. Padmé stayed with Shmi through hers, gently rocking her through painful sobs of grief she only now allowed herself to feel. "I am so sorry for your loss. I did not know of Cleigg's fate."

Her beloved Cliegg... As gentle and kind a soul as Shmi had ever encountered. His love was the light at the end of a very bleak tunnel that was her life before him. When a cold voice and a hard hand were all that she knew he graced her with his kind heart. "I don't know the life he led after I disappeared," she said in a tone barely above a whisper. "I hate the grief I know he had to have experienced over my death. He was such a good man. He gave me the first taste of true freedom I had ever known."

Padmé wished that she could offer Shmi so much more than a shoulder to cry on. "He seemed like a wonderful man from the brief time I spent with him. He was very good to Anakin and me when we came looking for you. He opened his home to us."

Needing a moment of distance, Shmi gently pulled away from Padmé. "I longed for the day my son would return to Tattoine and find that I had lived a joyful life that included my freedom. I knew, even as a little boy how he felt about us being slaves. I dreamed of the day I could tell him that I had a real home and was loved and cared for very well. That I had not suffered at all while he was gone."

As if a sheer veil had been lifted from her eyes, Padmé exhaled a deeply-held breath of air. She observed Shmi pick at the hem of her dress in such a simple gesture, and yet one Anakin often did with his Jedi robe when he was troubled by something. The eyes, the face, the voice, they were all so similar to the man she loved.

With the Force flowing through Padmé, a revelation was revealed to her. The final piece of the puzzle her husband had not the heart to face before he left the apartment. The one, lasting truth of the Force. That which is created could not possess a soul. No clone possessed one.

Shmi did.

Padmé felt a powerful radiance from Shmi, a beautiful aura and an array of light and goodness. Yes, she was Shmi Skywalker. Yes, Anakin's mother was alive.

And this was a beautiful, wonderful moment for Padmé. The healing could now begin.

"Shmi?" she called out, walking over to her. "Please?" Padmé took her hand and led her into the dining area. "Let me get you something to drink while you have a seat. We have Persberry juice if you'd like. Or something to eat, perhaps?"

Wearing a small thankful smile, Shmi sat down at the clear glass table, her eyes darting towards the twin's high chairs. Her precious grandchildren... "Juice would be fine. Thank you."

Padmé made a quick trip to the refrigeration unit. She poured two glasses full of the crimson liquid. She handed one of them to Shmi, and then sat down next to her. "This is truly a miracle."

"Yes," Shmi allowed herself a moment to comprehend all that had happened. "It is."

Resting her hand over Shmi's in a sincere show of support, Padmé sought to ease her worries as best she could. "Anakin will come to accept you in time, I promise. Trust me when I say you will bring him joy unimaginable."

"As he has brought me ever since the day he was born." Life had certainly taken its incredible twists and turn, Shmi felt. "Its so strange sitting here with you like this. I dare say I can barely remember you from our first meeting. I had only hoped someday that our paths would cross again."

"This was destiny, Shmi. I can see no other plausible conclusion to how we arrived here after all this time and all of the things that happened."

"Destiny it is, then," she smiled.

A bit thirstier than she had realized, Shmi drank from her glass as they sat in silence for a little while. She considered that, with Padmé and Leia, she was now no longer the only female Skywalker in the galaxy, and there was her grandson, Luke. Two became five as her family expanded before her very eyes.

Despite all the pain and hardships she had endured in her life, Shmi had never been as thankful before as she was right now.

The whirring buzz of Coruscant's endless sky traffic filtered in even through the curving glass hub overlooking the city. Such wonders were a far cry from the dry desert world of Tattoine. Shmi attempted to take it all in. "I feel so small here."

Padmé spared a glance at the massive artificial city she'd called home for much of her adult life. "I still do to this day. You will probably be surprised to hear that even I haven't seen all of Galactic City, and I've lived here for years."

Shmi's gaze fell as the memories of her solitary captivity washed over her, even amidst the wonders of Coruscant. "For four long years I was not allowed to come and go as I pleased or talk to anyone who actually had something to say. I was used to my freedom after a lifetime of slavery, and when I realized it was gone again, and that I had to eat and sleep when I was told to..." No matter the anger clutched tight to her chest over what was done against her will, she smiled at Padmé, her spirit renewed in the eyes of the woman her son loved. "Now I want to see everything."

Such a simple phrase, and yet it perfectly conveyed her positive outlook. "You will," Padmé assured her. "Shmi, you are family. You can stay with us for as long as you like and if you ever want your own place or to relocate to Tattoine I will make sure you have whatever it is you need for the rest of your life."

"Padmé, I don't want to be a burden."

"You are a blessing, Shmi. Whatever we have is yours as well."

"That's..." Shmi struggled to reply as her emotions threatened to overwhelm her. "That is a wonderful offer, but it's to much."

"No, Shmi. After all that you've gone through, it isn't. There is nothing I could ever do for you that would compare to you giving me my husband. He is my joy and all of the love that I have ever wanted. I love you as well, and I want to help you. I want you to get to know your son and your grandchildren. I personally want to have a wonderful relationship with you. I admire and respect you a great, great deal."

"The feeling is mutual," Shmi fondly expressed and then sighed, "I hope Anakin is alright."

When Padmé slowly shut her eyes, pausing before her in some spiritual way Shmi did not quite understand, there was an acceptance growing within her that her son was never alone even when he wasn't with his beloved. That personal knowledge empowered her.

"He's flying too fast and Obi-Wan is complaining," Padmé smiled upon opening her eyes again.

Shmi blinked, "How do you know this?"

Explaining to her how strongly she was bonded through the Force to Anakin would be as difficult as it was to her own parents. "I just know," Padmé offered simply enough and was rewarded when Shmi squeezed her hand.

"Will you please do me a favor, Padmé?"

"Yes. Anything."

Shmi chose her words carefully, ever thankful she was saying them to the right person. "Will you please tell me who my son is?" She hoped her inquiry wouldn't be misinterpreted. "When he shouted at me I saw you touch his wrist, and he seemed to fall back into himself. I could tell how deeply he loved you from that small gesture alone. You would know him best of all."

The compliment laced within the question was a pleasant one indeed. Padmé carefully considered Shmi's request as a wide smile began curling her lips. "My husband's capacity to love is without limit. I am overwhelmed by his adoration. He's lived such a hard life and faced many unfair tests, yet his gentle nature persevered. He fills my heart to overflowing everyday of my life. He is utterly beautiful to me."

"I can tell." The way Padmé's eyes seemed to light up the room when she talked about Anakin gave Shmi such peace of mind. "Please tell me more?"

"Watching him with Luke and Leia is a joy to behold. He is so patient and cautious. He constantly fears he will drop them," Padmé shared a laugh with Shmi that was sisterly in nature. "I think that is a male thing to some extent. But he is a wonderful father. When he talks about them or looks at them his whole heart exists for his family alone."

"I know the feeling."

Padmé felt privileged to be able to tell Shmi about the man her son became. "Anakin is the most loyal person I have ever met. If you have earned his favor he will not let you down."

"Obi-Wan mentioned that as well."

"Ben is my husband's very best friend," Padmé explained. "Their relationship evolved from a mentor/student to a brotherly bond they rarely acknowledge. It's so funny watching them bicker sometimes. It's often over our droids and is so stupid, yet I laugh and laugh until I can barely breathe."

Shmi longed to hear her son's laughter again. "They sound like quite a pair."

"They certainly are." After she finished her glass of juice, Padmé continued. "Having been raised as a slave deeply affected Anakin when he entered the Jedi Order, Shmi."

"I had a feeling it might. What little I knew of the Jedi Code, other younglings had a much greater head start than he did."

"Most are taken immediately after birth if a high midicloran count is discovered. By the time Anakin became a youngling he already had emotional attachments he could not break, as well as a greater knowledge of things than a youngling is exposed to by his age."

"His capacity to love..."

"And hate," Padmé carefully amended. "My husband can be dangerous as any being that draws breath in the universe. He understands there's a darkness inside him that he must work at holding in check. He accepts this now as a part of who he is. It is a struggle, but one he has overcome time and time again."

"He has character."

"He has what you gave to him. An example to rise above your surroundings and the hardships of life." Shmi nodded her appreciation. "Anakin's Force powers are still growing. He's as powerful as a Jedi Master right now and so far there seems to be no ceiling to his abilities. He has problems with patience when it comes to the Jedi Council realizing and respecting his accomplishments. He still has trust issues with them, though he ultimately believes what they do is in the best interest of the Republic."

"Obi-Wan mentioned that the Jedi Council may soon amend the Jedi Code so that marriage and loving relationships would be permitted for Jedi?"

"We hold out every hope that one day we won't have to live in the shadows and can leave the lies behind us."

"I believe that day will come," Shmi shared her optimism. "I have renewed hope in so many things now."

"As do I," Padmé offered with a smile. She calmly rose from her seat. "Now, I think it is time you met your grandchildren. Don't you?"

Shmi felt her heart might burst from love as she stood from her chair. "Yes," she accepted, and then followed Padmé to the nursery. "Padmé, I would love to hear how you and Anakin fell in love?"

"Our first kiss was overlooking the lake on Naboo. I lost my heart to Anakin between one heartbeat and the next..."

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The end of Chapter 2. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: "Echoes of the Dearly Departed" (3/3) **

**Written by: Shawn**

**Summary: Anakin battles his inner demons over Shmi's return to the land of the living.**

**Category: Drama Rating: PG-13 for very mild sensuality Ship: Anakin and Padmé Skywalker forever**

**Timeline/Spoilers: Revenge of the Sith AU from the moment Mace Windu allows Anakin to accompany him when he goes to arrests Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. The fight that ensued ended with Palpatine being killed. Anakin never turned to the dark side. The official investigation into everything and everyone associated with Palpatine has been ongoing for six months following Revenge of the Sith. Anakin and Padmé are still married in secret, but Obi-Wan knows about and has accepted it. The Jedi Council, following its near massacre at the hands of Palpatine is reevaluating the Jedi Code. No official decision has been made as of yet.**

**Special Note: This chapter does contain violence.**

**Disclaimer: George Lucas and Lucasfilm own everything.**

**Email:**

**Authors Notes 1: Luke and Leia Skywalker were born on Naboo and are six months old.**

**Authors Notes 2: Padmé confided in Queen Apailana concerning her post as Senator of Naboo. Due to her impeccable service record, intelligence, and the support of other key Senators she has been allowed to remain the Senator for Naboo. Her post is secure if and when it is revealed that she is married to Anakin.**

**Authors Notes 3: Darker aspects of Anakin are explored in this chapter.**

**Authors Notes 4: I have decided to conclude this story in three chapters rather than four.**

**Special Thanks: To my Jedi Master beta reader Anne. You are the very best of the best. **

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**It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end.  
Ursula K. Le Guin**

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**Anakin's speeder **

**Blazing toward the North-West Quadrant **

**Galactic City, Coruscant**

At this point, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi felt that closing his eyes to the dizzying blur of Coruscant's numerous, frantically-driven repulser-traffic lanes might just reign in the queasy fury that was building in the pit of his stomach. In his modest opinion flying was for droids. Flying at this death wish sort of extreme speed across massive streams of oncoming midday transit was nothing less than suicide.

Then again, his best friend was known around the galaxy as the "Hero Without Fear."

Neither had spoken a word since leaving Padmé and Shmi behind at the apartment. Knowing him as well as he did, Obi-Wan allowed Anakin his inner seclusion as they flew to an unknown destination. He assumed that their long ride through the sprawling west-quadrant had more to do with a need for his former Padawan to skim the surface of the immense transparisteel structures that reached high into the atmosphere. He often dared those massive buildings, blazing past, around, and sometimes over them with such a grand display of piloting skill it bordered as much brilliance as it did insanity.

Today he was racing from the past. From the one thing he did in fact fear.

Obi-Wan knew all too well that the HoloNet-proclaimed "Hero Without Fear" had them, though they were buried deeply in his very soul. His heart went out to the man he played father to as a boy and then later evolved into a brother. In the eyes of the Republic, Anakin Skywalker was a war hero and respected as a great Jedi. He was idolized by what the citizens of the Republic presumed to know of a Jedi's life, goals, responsibilities and the Code.

A select few knew the real Anakin: the husband, the father... the son. Those titles were the truth of his character. They were who he truly was. Being a Jedi, as fulfilling as such an honor was, woefully paled in comparison. The powerful heart that beat a tribal drum beneath his chest breathed for four now rather than one. Padmé, Leia and Luke were his life.

All else is the façade he allows those outside his family to see.

Obi-wan slipped into a half-meditative state hoping to ward off the vertigo while the speeder quickly barrel-rolled through twin skyscrapers. He remembered the day the rumors began to surface. Slowly, as gentle as the winds of a beautiful Naboo morning, word had begun to spread... foul, hateful words detailing Anakin Skywalker's hidden life and not the one known to the public. Who and how were questions he'd shared with his former master in recent weeks.

The why was well known. Power. Absolute power and control was wrenched from the hands of those who were promised it from Palpatine. The would-be Emperor slain by his forthcoming apprentice, and now the balance of galactic influence had forever shifted. Those who made vast fortunes off the war were now being vigorously investigated by the Jedi, had their assets frozen by Senate prosecutors, and faced execution if found guilty of crimes against the Republic. They were angry, vengeful, and knew exactly who was to blame for their current state of affairs.

When Anakin only had himself to worry about he could have cared less who placed a bounty on his head. Spurred on by his immense strength in the Force, and with a chest full of pride, he eagerly boasted that anyone who wanted to try and collect was welcome to speak with him over the matter.

Several did.

Several died.

Six-month old Leia Skywalker could not defend herself, however. Neither could her brother, Luke. It was up to Anakin and Padmé to do that, and as the number of their family grew, so did the targets for those who wanted revenge against the Chosen One.

None of those situations were lost on Obi-Wan as he felt the speeder finally begin to slow on a descent course. He knew why Anakin was unwilling to accept Shmi back into his life. Truth be told he would probably react the same way had he lived his former Padawan's life. There were many ways to gain vengeance on an enemy, and all of them did not include violence. In fact, the worst, most damning sort of revenge, was often the most subtle.

Killing the body would end the pain one seeks to inflict on his or her enemy forever. But agony and deceit could prolong the torture. Could sweeten the pain as only a broken heart could. Thus were the hallmarks of true revenge.

Grateful eyes opened to the five sectors of lush, sparkling Cypherious Lake near the Aquarium Gromorum. The heavily populated area, as expected this time of day, included many who turned to see the Jedi depart the speeder parked near a cluster of cloned, auburn-Fushen trees. Seeing two of the most popular, acclaimed Jedi in all the galaxy in the flesh was like a celebrity event as many drew holo-cams to snap pictures of them.

Obi-Wan followed a silent Anakin away from the small crowd that had begun to gather. Thankfully, security in the area quickly arrived to disperse the onlookers. As Coruscant's massive orbital mirrors rained warmth down upon them the teacher trailed behind his former student, patiently awaiting him to open up when he was ready.

Anakin gazed out over the beautiful lake as a flock of blue, long-winged ghore birds flew just over the water, seeking any sea life daring to creep to close the surface. Created and modeled after the Lake Country on Naboo, Cypherious Lake gave him as much of Padmé's homeworld as he could have while on Coruscant. He needed the calm that the lake provided as his inner thoughts were anything but. At last, he turned to his best friend with a grim determination clouding his blue eyes. "Give me all the facts of what you have found."

"There are many," Obi-Wan began in a tone of voice he often used when delivering his report to the Jedi Council. Anakin didn't want his best friend here. He needed the great detective to lay out his case. "First and foremost is our Jedi knowledge that a clone cannot possess a soul. It is an impossibility that the Force has given us as further proof of its existence. As you well know, the most Force perceptive being alive is Master Yoda. I personally brought Shmi to him as soon as we arrived on Coruscant. He meditated with her alone in his private chambers, and his final conclusion is that she is Shmi Skywalker. She possesses a soul and a Force-bond to you. He could sense no malice within her."

Anakin's flesh hand brushed over his weary face as he tried wrap his mind around the idea of this being real. Shmi's death had lived within him as a quiet torment he had never made peace with. Why must this happen now when his life had never been better? "Continue."

"You were present when Master Windu selected me as part of his team of Jedi to personally conduct the official inquiry into Palpatine's dealings for the past twenty years. I interrogated Mas Ammeda, and he told me of Palpatine's intense interest in the Chosen One prophecy and his feeling that your mother's pregnancy was an abomination of the Force itself." Anakin stared at Obi-wan in stoic silence, an unnamable emotion filling his heart. "Mas Ammeda helped Palpatine plan Shmi's kidnapping. He was present when Palpatine ordered Shmi's clone to be created as well as where it was to be delivered back to Tattione. He personally attended to the clone's mental programming if she were to ever come into contact with you. He has given me intricate details about every aspect of the plot and, from my best interpretation of his emotional state at the time I interrogated him, I think he was telling the truth. He has his life to lose due to the death sentence given to him for aiding Palpatine. I can see no reason for him to lie."

Obi-Wan's interrogation record was beyond impeccable, and Anakin knew that. Lying to a Jedi Master was nearly impossible for someone not trained in the Force arts. Mas Amedda's skills were solely meant for the political arena... or a Sabbac table. "You said Prime Minister Lamu Su backed up his story?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan nodded before him. "She was granted amnesty from execution in exchange for her full cooperation in all matters dealing with Palpatine. She provided me with records and journals the doctors in Rothana kept concerning the tests they ran on Shmi. We have three of Shmi's former guards in custody as well. They have provided sworn testimony in the face of consecutive life sentences that what Lamu Su and Mas Ammeda stated was true."

Anakin swallowed hard in the back of his throat. Whoever planned this went to great lengths. Or did they... He just wasn't sure. "What about the biological evidence?"

Obi-Wan rubbed gently at his beard as he circled his friend, detailing the facts he discovered. "I personally ran several DNA tests on Shmi and cross matched it with your own. You are a perfect match as a blood relation. A very close one. I have consulted with my old friend Reyes Fortune at the Micro-Dyocide Labs as well as Marunes at the Republic Science Ministry. I sent them samples of Shmi's blood and your own under false names. Both came back with the same results that you were a match and that neither DNA came from a clone."

Anakin felt as if the air in his chest was on fire. "Anything can be faked," he concluded as much because he needed to as that he truly felt that way in this case. "The Kamino scientists created six million clones of Jango Fett. I wouldn't put anything past their dark talents."

"They cannot clone a soul, my friend," Obi-Wan offered as gently as he could. "Master Yoda cannot sense treachery within Shmi. But the love she holds for you is very real."

"Master Yoda and Master Windu conducted weekly meetings in Palpatine's office for years and never even considered he was a Sith Lord for well over a decade."

True as that statement was, Obi-Wan had to counter to that argument. "The Force was out of balance, Anakin. The Jedi were not as deeply connected to it as we are again now. We have learned from our mistakes and fallen back onto the right path. Master Yoda is not perfect nor is anyone else. But in this instance I feel he is the best, most credible judge. He has concluded that yes, Shmi Skywalker is alive and is the woman I brought before him and you."

Unable to hear anymore, Anakin walked away, now trailing the lake's shoreline. He felt Obi-Wan's presence follow close behind. Long legs came to a halt as he shut his eyes, blocking out the world. On the wing tips of a deep breath he reached out through the Force to his angel. As if he were by her side, he picked up on the scent Leia's baby powder as Padmé finished changing her diaper. In his mind's eye he saw her pause for a moment as she felt him... and then she smiled.

"We will be alright," was all that she conveyed to him through the Force, yet again instilling within him that there is nothing they could not face together. Her love was ever present, and as valuable to his continued existence as the very air he breathes.

Obi-Wan slowly came around him, arms behind his back. Anakin lifted his gaze. "I'm afraid, Ben."

Obi-wan could count the number of times Anakin had called him Ben on one hand. Whereas Padmé used his undercover name quite often as a show of genuine friendship, his former Padawan struggled to move past calling him master even now. Perhaps he needed the detective to leave. "I am as well, my friend."

"If I allow myself to believe and then later on it is proven to be false I'll..." Anakin struggled to finish as he hands shook by his sides. His jaw clenched powerfully as the emotional turmoil swirled within him. "I've had to deal with her death for years now."

"I understand that."

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW THIS MAKE'S ME FEEL!" Anakin didn't intend to shout as his feelings got the better of him. "I have ached for my mother since the day I left her. Some days the only thing that kept me going was the dream of going back to Tattione someday and freeing her. So imagine my horror at finding her beaten, bloody, and tortured body bond to rigid stumps inside a dirty tent!" He faced Obi-Wan, towering over him nearly in a fit of rage. The images of that dark day assaulted his very soul. "She was unkempt and barely fed. Her face was swollen, as were her wrists and ankles. She had only enough strength to recognize my face and... and..." he fought off a wave of tears as the agony burned anew. "She said that she was complete. It was as if she held on long enough to see my face one last time and then let go. And when she let go, I let go!"

The savage slaying of the sand people would always be a mark between them. While Anakin hated his inner weakness that manifested itself in rage, Obi-Wan often wondered if he had been a better teacher then maybe Anakin would have had control over himself. In his quiet moments he often saw that day as a failure for himself as much as his Padawan.

"Your dreams were of Padmé dying in childbirth," Obi-Wan began in a comforting tone of voice. "And yet she survived and delivered Luke and Leia."

"Your point is?"

"Miracles can happen," Obi-Wan offered simply enough. "We are not bound by misery and sorrow. We have seen, fought, and survived a brutal four year war, Anakin. We know the depths of suffering and violence that exist."

Not for the first time Anakin felt Obi-Wan just didn't understand. "Nothing I have ever witnessed would compare to this if I allowed... if I allowed her into my heart and lost my mother all over again."

Obi-Wan had no answer for that, as he understood it all to well. Instead, he sought a different approach to reach his friend. "My parents are deceased, but I have three sisters who live on Helos in the Hatarian system."

Anakin's hard expression melted away into genuine surprise. His arms crossed his chest. "How do you know?"

"I was going to tell you something upon my return, but I had no idea I would find Shmi. Nonetheless, I am pleased to inform you that the Jedi Code is about to be re-written. Not only will marriage be allowed, but contact with family members will no longer be forbidden." As the clear sky seemed to shine just that much brighter, Anakin appeared on the verge of smiling. "The vote was taken just before I left Coruscant."

"You looked into your family, didn't you?" Anakin concluded.

"You inspired me with your own. I felt I suddenly needed to know where I come from, to maybe understand where I'm going. I don't have the future all figured out. I'm afraid as well."

Honestly, Anakin hadn't ever considered that. "What are your sisters' names?"

"Karol, Sula, and Vovel." His sincere expression of awe fell over his former Padawan as well. "Between them I have several nieces and nephews."

"Are you the oldest?"

"Is that an insult?" Anakin joined his good mood at last, smiling. "Yes, I am. And they do not know that I am their brother. I was named at the temple, so they have no clue which Jedi I became."

"What are you going to do?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "I'm not sure yet. Part of me wants to seek them out just to get to know them. Another part of me fears this new freedom I have been granted. It opens up all sorts of possibilities I've never considered before. I could have a family of my own someday. It's almost beyond my comprehension."

Anakin looked upon his former master in many ways, but never as simply as seeing him as a middle-aged man who was fast becoming lonely in his life. Especially now that he'd seen how the other side lives. Anakin suddenly felt as if in life he were looking at a Padawan, in a manner of speaking. He gained some perspective. "You need to see them, Ben. As soon as you can be granted leave time seek them out and introduce yourself. Get to know your family. I'd be happy to accompany you when you do."

As appreciative as he was of the sentiment, Obi-Wan added, "I think you have your hands full enough as it is."

Anakin lifted a comforting hand to his shoulder. "You've been wonderful to my family. I'd love to meet yours."

"And what of you? What will you do now?"

"I have someplace I need to go alone," he expressed somberly, but with a bit more hope than he'd felt since he left the apartment. "And then I will open my heart to possibilities."

"That is all that any of us can do."

* * *

"**Varengard" **

**Coruscant Maximum Security Holding Center **

**144th Floor Mas Amedda's cell **

**Galactic City, Coruscant**

Another day and another threat against his life.

After exhaling an impatient grunt, Mas Amedda crumbled the folded note he found shoved under the two-foot thick paristeel door of his cell. Crushed in the palm of his pale blue hand, he dismissed it across the room, watching it fall into the shadowed corner near the sink.

The note was simple enough. If he testified against any member of the board governing the Intergalactic Banking Clan he will (would) have his limbs torn from his body by a hoard of Gore-Wolves.

Alas, the native Chagrian paid the threat no more mind than the fifty others that had come his way the moment word was leaked he was cooperating with Jedi Master Windu's formal investigation into the Palpatine's rise to power. Mas no more feared the Intergalactic Banking Clan board of directors than he did a dust mite. They were cowards. Wealthy beyond measure and above getting their hands dirty. Palpatine often referred to them as useless sewer cretins, whom he allowed to believe held some great importance. The stability of the Republic in a time of war hinged on a "business as usual" appearance of leadership, though behind closed doors the Supreme Chancellor ruled.

The Intergalactic Banking Clan's guild of assassins was hardly a threat against the Jedi who personally guard his cell. In addition, attempting to kill him would only raise more inquiries that would eventually lead back to them. A lose/lose outcome was inevitable no matter what took place.

Mas Amedda possessed more than enough evidence to provide, should he choose, to have the entire board executed. As it stood he intended to reveal little more than enough to get them fined a hefty sum of credits and be leveled with far-reaching sanctions for years to come. After all, he did want a job when he finally brokered for his release. But after this frivolous gesture he'd love nothing more than to watch them all die in the neo-gas chamber, sniveling worms that they were. His long, forked tongue flickered across his lips in an act of defiance.

Clad in the garb of a common criminal, the grey jumpsuit he wore was a far cry from the tailor-made attire he was well known for as he presided over the Galactic Senate as its Vice Chair. Second only to Palpatine himself, his booming voice towered throughout the cavernous Senate hall whenever he called for order. He carried a powerful presence about himself. Sophistication in the midst of chaos. He was a man to be feared, admired, and sought after for counsel.

When Palpatine first revealed to him that he was a Sith Lord his only reaction was that he would need another glass of brandy. And while he would never classify himself as a friend of the now deceased Supreme Chancellor, such as he didn't have any, Mas enjoyed his time being around Palpatine as the man commanded an Empire long before he actually attempted to rename it that.

The cell's small window to the west now haunted him as it revealed the sprawling megapolis of Coruscant that he once owned nearly as much of as anyone ever had. The bustling city that couldn't sleep if it tried provided him with everything any being could have ever wanted. The immense wealth once at his disposal was now a memory. His influence carried enough weight that he could have almost anyone arrested or killed at a moments notice. His taste for Syorian women was sated whenever he took any and sometimes all of the seven slaves he owned to his bed chambers.

As Palpatine's right hand, Coruscant was practically in his back pocket.

Now, he was literally begging for his life on a daily basis. Begging like a lower-level homeless whelp. His secrets were his bargaining tools, used to stave off execution. His crimes came to light in the form of a detailed Jedi report some ninety pages long, revealing events as far back as two decades when he served as Vice Chair under Chancellor Valorum. He chose to defend himself in the only way he knew would be effective.

He offered up everyone he knew on a silver platter to save his own skin.

Standing by the window, his eyes sought the massive domed structure of the Galactic Senate Hall in the distance, and then just to its far right the towering skyscraper known as Five Hundred Republica. Only the most rich and powerful called that place home, as he once did. On the 179th floor he had a view of Coruscant to be rivaled by Palpatine himself.

Now he had a 14 wide by 28 foot square holding cell. Its drab grey permacrete walls, simple bed and bathroom fixtures were as far away from the extravagant luxury he was accustomed to as anyone could possibly imagine. Nonetheless he was still breathing, and that did count for something.

His visitors were either Jedi or guards paid a great sum of credits to deliver death threats. All of his assets had been frozen and his name had been shamed across the galaxy. He was now known as a traitor to the Republic. Scandal would stalk him like a predator for the rest of his days. He would never know peace of mind ever again. Nonetheless, he had one final card to play. When the time was right he would offer the Jedi all the information he had on the construction of the Death Star, as many powerful individuals would kill to own the schematics. That alone might afford him his freedom. Until then he could only bide his time, wait, and rat out everyone he had ever come into contact with.

In some small way it was all too similar to politics, minus the pomp and circumstance. Turning from the view as the orbital mirrors shifted the capital city's daylight, he ran his hands over the fully extended lethorns extended from his head. His current surroundings were a temporary situation at best. He needed to exercise patience while earning the Jedi's trust that he would reveal any truth to save his life.

Hardly a problem seeing as he would.

Suddenly a metal grating noise signaling the huge cell doors opening caught his attention, his back to them. Breakfast had already been served, so he assumed yet another interrogation was about to begin. And to think he had hoped to finish his newest book before lunch. "How may I assist the Jedi today?"

When Mas Amedda came about he recognized the tall, grim form of Anakin Skywalker standing across the room. His face was hidden in the shadows of his cloak as if he could fade into them at will. Skywalker's posture was eerily ominous. "The prodigal son of the Sith returns." He offered a slow bow to accentuate his point.

From left to right Anakin took in the sum of his humbling surroundings. "This looks like a good place to die."

Mas Amedda arched a brow. "I wouldn't know about that. I have no intention of dying here."

"If that is true then you would do well to do exactly as I tell you." Anakin slowly moved out of the shadows. "For I swear by the Force your life is hanging by a slim thread this very second."

Mas carefully stepped closer to his bed sensing that he would do well to keep his distance from the Jedi. He sat down on the edge, his green eyes tracking the Jedi's every movement. Palpatine considered Anakin's potential to be limitless, as well as his capacity for angry violence. Provoking him now would not be a smart thing to do. "How can I help you, my lord?"

"How much do you know about my life?"

"You took Senator Padme Amidala as your wife just before the Clone Wars began, and you have now welcomed twins into the world. I suppose congratulations are in order."

Anakin sensed the fear and curiosity that laced Mas Amedda's emotions, though he kept a calm reign over his thoughts. "Who else knows of this?"

Something far darker than he expected in a Jedi echoed through Anakin's voice. "Everyone in Palpatine's inner circle, as well as the leaders of the Intergalactic Banking Clan, the Commerce Guild, and the Techno Union. In total, I would say eleven individuals know of your true life."

He feared and expected as much. "Were any of them involved in the plot concerning my mother?"

The reasons for this visit were fast becoming crystal clear to Mas. "No. Only myself and Palpatine orchestrated that. They are not aware of Shmi's survival." Anakin stormed before him in a heartbeat, his blue eyes cold and fearsome as they bore into his own. "I am a flea compared to the power you wield effortlessly. Lying to you would only see me killed. So trust that I won't."

"I wouldn't ever trust you. But I do trust you understand your current predicament."

"You want to kill me, don't you?"

"All of Palpatine's closest staff committed suicide the day I slayed him. You are the last."

"I hold no allegiance to the Sith." Mas Amedda soon found the green blade of an activated light saber by his neck. The heat's intensity seared against to his skin. His throat clenched in response. "I'm... I'm listening."

"Is the woman Obi-Wan brought back from Rothana truly Shmi Skywalker?"

"Yes."

"Do you swear?"

"On my life. I hand-picked the best of Palpatine's personal security detail to abduct her, and I programmed the clone that was left in her place."

Though possessing a deceitful heart, here and now Anakin could feel he was telling the truth. "If this is a plot against me, and Shmi is not who you are telling me she is I will make you beg for death."

"Of that I have no doubt."

"No," Anakin whispered so softly his voice was barely audible, though the threat of his gaze spoke volumes. "You don't."

The most subtle of sensations began at the tips of Mas Amedda's fingers... a tingling awareness that saw the muscles and tendons up and down his arms begin to warm... and then tighten painfully until the excruciating heat began to manifest itself as sweat over his face. "This isn't necessary, Anakin," he quickly declared in a shaky tone of voice. "I swear to you I am telling you the whole truth." His words came less bravado and calm than they had before. As he gazed down his hands suddenly went numb as the blood seemed to rush from them as the fixtures in his cell seemed to rattle and shift in the wake of some unseen force.

Mas Amedda screamed when the bones in his wrist cracked and then broke, the sounds of which lifted about the cell. His body slumped to the floor as he writhed in searing pain. Anakin took a dominant stance above him, his hands clasped behind his back. His blue eyes offered no compassion at all. "Those bones that just broke beneath your skin are now floating in your bloodstream," Anakin told him in a tone of barely restrained rage, as if removed from the moment entirely. "Look at your wrists and forearms. The way your hands now hang limp. Brace yourself."

"Arrrrrgggghh!" Mas Amedda cried out in blunt agony as the bones that made up his forearm shattered inside his arm. They lost some of their rigid form, now hung loosely from his shoulders as he sobbed shamelessly, convulsing on the floor from the unimaginable horror of what was being done to him. He could never have fathomed the suffering he felt as violent spasms overcame his entire body. "MERCY, ANAKIN! MERCY!"

Anakin inhaled a deep breath above Mas and then spoke slowly. "You aided Palpatine in murdering billions. Your begging and pleading fall on deaf ears with me. You deserve to rot in a prison cell for the rest of your life and then be put to death as painfully as possible."

"MERCY! I BEG OF YOU, MERCY! PLEASE! I AM TELLING YOU THE TRUTH!" His elbows suddenly bent inward, as if against nature itself, and then again at an awkward angle. Mas Amedda's teeth nearly cracked from how hard he bit down as the torture continued. His howling groans of agony blared loudly. There seemed no end to this absolute anguish.

He was being mutilated from the inside out.

"Listen to me closely, as I will only say this one time. Padmé, Luke, Leia and Shmi. Those are names you would do wise to forget exist. If anyone ever asks you about them you should pretend you know nothing and then contact me immediately. If anyone expresses to you that they are interested in harming my family you are to contact me immediately. I will destroy any threat to my wife and children."

"They are my lasting link to any humanity I possess," Anakin declared in a soft tone of voice amidst the grimacing pain devouring the man at his feet. "If I were to lose them I would lose that part of me which holds the angry beast in check. I would be without caring or compassion. I would seek bloody vengeance upon my enemies and any they hold dear... no one would be safe. Nothing. Anywhere. Death would surround me as I drowned in it."

"Hear me well. I won't consult the Jedi Council. I won't inform Republic officials. I will simply and violently eradicate anyone seeking to hurt my family and anyone who aids them. I will do what must be done. I will not hesitate. I will show no mercy. And if I find out you are involved then what you have just experienced next time will be real and one hundred times worse."

That very second Mas Amedda's went wide as he gasped for air. His lungs burned deep within his chest. His heart stopped as he realized he was still sitting up on the edge of his bed. His hands and arms were perfectly normal. Not a trace of pain could be felt. He lifted them, turned them over, squeezed his fists and moved his arms about. He hadn't been crippled at all. His head lifted to the Jedi standing in the corner of the room. There was only one thing to say after such an incredible show of the Force. "I will comply, my lord."

"I am not a Sith wearing a Jedi robe, but if believing so keeps you loyal then so be it."

"I am loyal to whomever has a blaster to my head."

"Then consider me the blaster's owner." Anakin made his way to the cell door, and with a gesture of his hand it opened. The two guards standing outside seemed as if they were in a trance. "This meeting never took place. And you will answer to me from now on. Won't you?"

"Ye... yes."

"Good. I will reward any warning that prevents harm to my family with protection for you. Keep that in mind. And never speak of this day."

The large metal doors slammed shut and Mas Amedda was alone. His head lowered into his hands as the agony of moments ago was still fresh in his mind, if not his body. His hands were shaking and his breathing came ragged. His clothing was now soaked in sweat. He thought he once held power, but now he was sure that he never had. His best hope was to get out of this place any way he could and disappear forever. One thing was for certain. Anakin Skywalker was indeed Palpatine's heir.

He was now the most dangerous man in the galaxy.

* * *

**Officially: Senator Padmé Amidala's apartment **

**Unofficially: Anakin and Padmé Skywalker's apartment **

**The evening **

**Located in the Republic Plaza **

**Galactic City, Coruscant**

Padmé was greeted with Coruscant's breathtakingly endless cityscape as she walked out onto her apartment veranda. The warm, sunny afternoon settled peacefully before her, surely a welcome sign after the terrible years during the Clone Wars. Innumerable repulser shuttles, hover-taxi's and star ships forever filled the blazingly hectic Galactic City skyline in winding roads of air-traffic. Brilliant shimmers of reflected light from the billions of windows stretched as far as the eyes could see in the distance. Towering buildings of such intricate, exotic architecture dared the heavens above, reaching far past the clouds themselves, seemingly into infinity.

The impossible seemed as if it had a right to live in such a place of awe. Padmé hadn't always felt so welcome and or at ease.

The mysterious, extravagant, and darkly electric atmosphere of Galactic City once intimidated her when she took her post as Senator of Naboo. Visiting this vastly intimidating world was one thing but making a home for herself, especially being the first away from her parents'security presented one of the greatest challenges of her entire life. To be so young and on her own for the very first time, especially with the hardened emotional shell she'd grown comfortable living in, made making friends difficult and many lonely nights.

Having little to no social life certainly didn't help matters either.

Nonetheless, she was more than up for the task at hand. And if she could make it on her own in Galactic City then she could make it anywhere. Face any obstacle. And come out stronger because of it. Being a petite-humanoid female thrown into the combative political arena that was the Galactic Senate Hall, where she was expected to be no more than a nice, new piece of Naboo window dressing, tested her in ways she'd never been tested before.

It dawned on her one morning how ironic it was that she was far more accustomed to having attempts made on her life than being verbally disrespected, talked down too, and insulted to her face.

Padmé stood at the railing, a gentle breeze brushing her long, brown hair, as memories of her early years on Coruscant played out in her mind's eye. She remembered being so scared her first day at the Senate Hall that she got lost trying to find her platform floor. She was prepared and determined but inexperienced in that sort of volatile environment. Afterward, that night, she felt as alone as she ever had in her entire life. She'd been verbally dismissed and even laughed at whenever she argued a counter point of view on issues being discussed. The arrogant, rude, and even outright ignorant treatment by some of her fellow Senators was a shock to her system. They talked above her, louder, and seemed to enjoy her obvious discomfort at being unaccustomed to such people.

She'd withdrawn quietly into herself as the day came to a close in what many around her thought to be a symbol of defeat. Instead, she closely observed her peers while considering their criticism.

Defiance of that criticism led her back the next day and every day after as her emotional skin grew tougher, her voice bolder, and her mind sharper as her understanding of how to work the political machine to her advantage took shape. She was without her mother's gentle counsel, her father's wisdom, and her sister's comforting sisterhood. Here, she only had herself to rely on, and so she did. She threw herself headfirst into her work, never looking back.

She had found her place in a world so starkly different than the one she grew up in.

Now Shmi would have to travel that same long, hard road to finding her place in a world nothing like the one she came from. She would have to reconnect with the man her son grew up to become and get to know him all over again. She would have to make peace with the unfair things done against her will while facing what must look like an insurmountable task of rebuilding her entire life. All done in the midst of nursing a broken heart over her beloved deceased husband who gave her the first taste of true freedom she had ever known.

With genuine intent and compassion, Padmé had already promised to be there for her every step of the way, as she knew Anakin would be also when he was able to accept that the impossible was undeniable. The days to come wouldn't be easy or without pain, as life never was. But somehow they would make this work and rebuild what was thought long lost.

As a massive Republic Battle Cruiser lifted off in the distance, Padmé considered what an amazing day it had been so far as a soft smile lifted about her lips.

Moments ago she left Shmi in the nursery with C-3PO and the twins. Padmé needed no biological test nor Master Yoda's valued opinion to accept the utter, limitless love shining in Shmi's eyes while gazing upon her grandchildren. They had already focused on her and fond her so pleasing they did not cry when she picked them up and held them snug to her chest. It was as if they knew her and simply understood she was family.

The simple joy of watching Luke and Leia's grandmother hold them for the very first time only underscored how sweet the miracle of her return truly was. Padmé shut her eyes to the city and breathed deeply the air of a joyful home. Nothing in her life was perfect, nor would it probably ever be, and yet in so many ways it was more perfect than it had ever been before. Having grown accustomed at a young age to a life dedicated to public service and nothing more, to find herself four years after having been reunited with Anakin that she was a wife and mother now was nothing short of remarkable.

Padmé sat down on the short white bench by the railing and began exercising Anakin's training in using the Force. She cleared her thoughts and focused her mind solely on him, seeking him out, and found him, surprisingly enough. He could always "reach" her through the Force-bond they shared, but she had only recently begun to gain a "feel" for him. The mystery of just how she was able to do these things were a private matter they never discussed, only accepted as yet another miracle they saw no reason to dissect.

Miracles were to be rejoiced, after all.

Padmé could see her towering apartment complex through his eyes as he quickly approached. He'd left several hours ago and was finally coming home to her. She listened to the calming beat of his heart, instantly recognizing its familiar rhythm. After a moment of gentle probing she sensed that he had recently touched the darkness he tried to hard to hide from her. That very same darkness she had always known existed.

The angry dragon that burned a fiery trail through his tortured soul could not survive the powerful light Padmé illuminated until it was no more.

His utter need for her grew stronger as his speeder drew closer. Padmé opened her gaze to the east and caught sight of the yellow and silver speeder whisk up, over, and around other ships until it ascended the immense height of the apartment complex and slowed as it docked at the edge of the veranda. She remained still on the bench, watching her husband's tall, graceful form swing his body over the side, his soulful eyes now locked with her own. From the serious expression on his face she could tell he had decided upon a course of action and had taken it. His mental exhaustion was open to her, as well as the fact that he simply missed her.

Anakin's slow advance toward her was met with silence as she appreciated the beautiful sight of him. Draped in his heavy, dark Jedi robe she knew that someday he would not only become the youngest Jedi Master ever to sit on the Council, but the most powerful Force being that had ever lived. Rightly fully justified or not he was the new image of the Jedi to the whole of the Republic and widely considered the hero of the war, along with Obi-Wan. Count Dooku, a Sith Lord once trained by Master Yoda and Palpatine himself, had fallen before him in battle as testament to his unmatched abilities.

Anakin Skywalker was handsome, strong, moody in a way that only amplified his sex appeal, and arguably the most dangerous man alive.

Yet when he reached his beloved Padmé he casually fell to one knee and simply laid his head upon her lap, eyes shut as her small hand brushed over his long, sun-streaked hair. All of the boiling rage and fear inside him slowly ebbed away, fading into twilight because she was with him. Here, in her tender embrace, he would always find his solid ground and peace of mind.

Even the light scent of her rose perfume was precious to his heart.

The gentle sway of her fingers through his hair was something Padmé knew he enjoyed to no end. She took such great pleasure in feeling him convey such trust and need in her. No master, Jedi or Sith, could bring him to his knees. And yet the Chosen One bowed before her alone, seeking her always. The love she held dear for him was timeless and without measure. She privately vowed with her very life to protect him any way that she could, as she knew he would always protect her.

Anakin's silence hadn't hurt her feelings nor frustrated Padmé in the least. He was like this sometimes, and she knew how to handle him. She knew her husband well.

He felt her hand pull at his right shoulder just enough to grab his attention. He stood upon her subtle request and then back a step as she did the same. Padmé reached for his gloved hand, though she knew he often wished she would never acknowledge that part of him. Her intent was always for him to never be ashamed as she loved all of him with the sum of her very being.

Taking his hand into her own, she led him away, down the long curving sweep of stairs lined by her collection of rare sculptures and back inside the apartment. They walked past the center circular fountain and made their way into the spacious kitchen area.

Padmé gently squeezed his hand and then lifted his robe off his shoulders and hung it up for him. With a simple gesture she motioned for him to sit at the head of the table and was pleased he did as he was told for once. The loving smile he wore for her alone gave her a sense of feminine pride that he trusted she would take the best care of him. Men needed that from time to time. Having sensed that he hadn't eaten all day, she set about preparing him a feast of a meal confined to a single plate. Having a husband who would literally eat anything and enjoyed her discomfort at telling her about things she didn't want to know, at least her lack of culinary skills would never be a problem in their marriage.

She opened the refrigeration unit and retrieved a tray of Dex's deep-fried hot meat strips and a slice of his double layered Syn-fudge cake. She placed the tray in the quick-heater device, and then returned to the table with a pitcher of blue milk and the slice of cake. When Anakin immediately reached for the sweets she playfully slapped his flesh hand away. She knew she would do the same to Luke one day, though she had more faith that Leia would take after her in the matter of table matters.

At least she hoped so.

Through the Force Anakin enjoyed her whimsical internal monologue while laughing softly behind her back. She heard him and turned around, gracing him with a knowing smirk that he better cut it out. A few moments later she was before him again, setting down a steaming plate full of his favorite food from Dex's Diner. The unmistakable growl emitted from his stomach gave her something to giggle at him about.

Suddenly, she found in his blue eyes the anticipation for what was to come. There was something about seeing her use the Force that seemed to, for lack of a better term, turn him on. She certainly didn't mind. The politician and the mother didn't require his heady desire, but the woman certainly did.

Coming around the other side of the table, Padmé sat down and then looked to the cupboard across the kitchen, just above the sink area in the corner. She inhaled a deeply calming breath, mentally centered her thoughts on channeling the Force, and then focused her intent as she lifted her hand toward the cupboard. Ever so slowly the small brown door swung open, revealing inside an assortment of tall, exotically sculptred Fylis glasses given to them as a gift from Jar-Jar.

While sensing his wife through the Force only deepened their connection, the sheer sight of her controlling it captivated Anakin in ways he couldn't possibly explain. Opening the cabinet had become easy as Padmé now was able to press buttons and enact other small actions using the Force. Actually moving objects was the hard part as she struggled with the immense amount of concentration needed to wield something she shouldn't even have access too.

Concentrating fully now, Padmé turned her outstretched hand at an angle as the fourth glass from the left shifted against another, and then gracefully lifted up and out of the cupboard now hanging in mid-air. Her mind strained to maintain its hold on the object, as she controlled her steady breathing while enforcing her will that the glass move toward the table. It did, albeit at a methodical pace. Across the kitchen it floated, strengthening her confidence that she could gain such a measure of control over the Force. She'd never done anything like this before, but with every small accomplishment due to Anakin's training she became greedy with learning more.

As the glass came within two feet of the table Anakin sensed Padmé's strain becoming too great as her Force-link began to dwindle. Suddenly, the glass stopped moving at all, and then fell. Using the Force, he easily caught it with a simple wave of his hand, and found Padmé with a grateful expression that their floor wasn't covered in broken glass.

Padmé sighed as she watched the glass reach the table and land in front of Anakin. She hated failing at anything she tried, and yet knew she wouldn't quit. The mystery of how she was able to call upon the Force at all was one they were exploring together. Privately, of course.

Surprisingly enough, a slightly-muffled snicker came from across the table. Padmé inclined her head and then noticed that the chair she sat on was now hovering a foot off the floor. Her arms crossed her chest as a scowl attempted to form on her face when the piece of furniture smoothly moved around the table until she was sitting right beside her now eating husband. Not only had he failed to look up once, but he didn't even lift his hand.

"Showoff," Padmé accused him in a tone far more playful than she wished it to sound. He made a noise while stuffing his face that sounded one part teasing and another part pleased with the taste of his food. At least he was satisfied, now devouring his plate as if the food were about to stand up and run from him. She'd favored Obi-Wan with more than a few glares whenever he attempted to tell her stories of Anakin's eating habits during the war as she wanted no part of knowing any of it. She'd review any legend or prophecy concerning her husband, but she drew the line at anything to do with bugs as dinner.

After all, she did have to kiss him.

Suffice to say, despite his many imperfections, she adored him utterly.

Anakin finished a second glass of blue milk, and then had the audacity to try and push a glass full over to Padmé. She had maintained many times milk was to be white only and she would never, ever drink the blue variety that hailed from his homeworld. It was a matter of intimate domestic squabbling as they often argued over which was more healthy or tasted better. All of them ended in purchasing both, of which Pamde took no small amount of enjoyment in reminding Anakin who bought things around here.

Later on in the evening, when they retired to their bedroom, Anakin reminded her who was the boss.

At least in the bedroom.

Upon finishing his meal, Anakin wiped his face with a paper towel. He left its crumbled remnants on the table. She'd given him his space and allowed him to digest that had happened at his own pace. Now he needed to face this.

Padmé felt his hand close around one of hers. He brought it to his lips for soft kiss and then covered it with his other between them. He turned to her, his most trusted counsel, and asked, "Do you think this is real?"

"I think," Padmé began seriously, "That if a friend had this happen to them and needed someone to look into every aspect of what happened I would recommend Obi-Wan first and foremost. I feel that when the facts are absolutely needed he is as thorough, trustworthy, and clever as they come in discovering the complete truth. So in that regard, if Obi-Wan says he has interrogated those involved, run the necessary blood tests, and examined her himself I can only conclude that his findings are probably accurate."

"But what do you think personally?"

Padmé exhaled a deep breath and then squeezed her husband's hand. "I talked with Shmi at great length, Ani. I asked her many, many questions, and I explained why we are so cautious about believing this. I informed her of the enemies who would strike at us in the most painful ways possible. She seemed very sincere to me. She was compassionate, concerned, and forthright."

If his Angel beleived believed Shmi to be who she said she was then... this was all so much for him to take in. "I went to see Mas Ammedda." She nodded in reply. "I... I did what I had to do in order to obtain get the information he had. He is sticking to his story that Shmi is alive and the woman I found dying in that camp was a clone of my mother."

"What did you sense in his presence?"

"Fear... absolute fear and blunt honesty as he sought to save his life. Though he possesses a treacherous nature at heart, he was not lying to me today. I trust the Force in that regard."

"So we have a mountain of evidence that clearly supports that Shmi Skywalker is alive," Padmé offered, and then continued, "But only you will know for certain. Only your heart will place my mind at ease that the woman in the nursery is your mother. In the face of all the evidence to the contrary, if in your heart of hearts you feel she is not Shmi Skywalker then she will not be a part of our lives. I trust in you always."

That was why he cherished her every heart beat as a reason for him to live. He had survived a savage war because her love meant everything to him.

Anakin rose to his feet, taking Padmé with him. His free hand gently cupped the back of her hair as he brought his lips down softly upon hers. The sweetest taste, joy from her lips as they swayed to a loving rhythm all their own. They embraced for the longest time, holding each other closely, a single shared soul rejoicing.

After pressing a final kiss to her luscious lips, Anakin gazed into her warm, brown eyes. "I need to see her."

**

* * *

**

"I don't want to cause you anymore pain than you have already suffered."

Still and breathless, Anakin stood motionless in the nursery's entrance while gazing at the woman claiming to be his mother. With a guarded heart, and Padmé by his side, he hated the fear clutched tight to his chest as much as appreciated how it grounded his emotions against having his hopes dashed to the far winds. Yes, the lovely face and the warm voice perfectly matched what he remembered from his youth, but at one time he had felt there was no more a kind, compassionate individual in all of the galaxy than Palpatine. How wrong he had been then and if he was now... "You're a victim as well."

Her back to the curved glass hub facing Galactic City's hologram-lit eastern quadrant, Shmi still couldn't get over how tall Anakin had grown. Though she knew he was a young man, the harsh cruelties of the war he fought in for years were evidenced in the strong pose of a proud, fearless Jedi before her. Equally powerful and fearless was the woman who stood by his side, ever vigilant that he face nothing alone. "Am I to take that statement to mean that you believe I am your mother?"

Anakin didn't answer right away, choosing to focus his intense scrutiny upon her as he began circling the nursery. Padmé stayed by the door, watching as he felt her tender caring surround him. He checked in on Luke first, and then Leia. Satisfied they were sleeping peacefully he soon found himself standing before the woman whose mere presence was still shocking. "All the evidence I have been able to gather points to you being my mother. I can come to no other conclusion than that it is the truth."

"But do you want it to be?"

"I don't know what I want," he sighed, now peering past her to the brilliant setting suns over Coruscant. From the moment he left Tattione with Qui-Gonn and Obi-Wan a reunion with his beloved mother was his life's goal, along with becoming a Jedi Master. To have that dream possibly perverted into a cruel nightmare left him with a deep wrenching bitterness in the pit of his stomach.

Anakin sorely wished he could banish certain memories from his soul forever even though they had shaped who he was and what he almost became. "When I found my mother in that Tusken-Raider camp she was near death." His voice trembled as that dark day swept over him again. "She looked..." he swallowed painfully in back of his throat, nearly unable to continue. "No child should ever see his mother treated that way. She was severely beaten and scarred. She was covered in dirt and her own dried blood. She was bound tight by her wrists and ankles, and was too weak to even lift her head. She was able to open her eyes for a brief moment to recognize me. Her last words were that she loved me, and then she died in my arms."

Shmi's heart went out to him, as the longing she felt to hold him and chase away his grief nearly overwhelmed her. He'd witnessed so much horror, all in the hopes of pushing him over a precipice from which he could never return. Her son had been forced to suffer in the worst way possible, a fact that made her feel sick.

"Moments after my mother died I felt something so cold and hateful come over me," Anakin attempted to explain through barely clenched teeth. "I became something more... a dragon's fire scorched my soul. I slaughtered the entire camp of Tusken Raiders." Dark eyes captured Shmi in their grasp. "I killed every living thing, even the animals. I spared nothing and no one."

Shmi struggled for the words that would give him some perspective. "You were grieving and filled with rage over what you thought they did to me."

"I lost control of my emotions that night. I willingly gave into hate, fear, and aggression. Something I've been taught all my life was a path to the darkside. And I didn't care."

"Had anyone ever harmed you in that way I do not know how I would react if I were in their presence either. Rest assured I would not be without a vengeful heart." Shmi gave a wistful look as her voice began to falter. She could tell Anakin needed her to know all of this for himself as well as her. As bad as what she had heard already was, she knew it would only get worse. Nonetheless, this was about him.

His voice, a shadowy hurt echoed just how broken Anakin was that night. "I walked back inside the hut I left my mother in and wrapped her body in one of the Tusken's old blankets. I tied two ropes around it to secure her and then carried her out of the hut and up a nearby hill where I had hidden my speeder. That was the longest walk of my entire life. I accepted hate in my heart every step of the way."

For the very first time Padmé allowed the Force-bond she shared with her husband to access part of his memories of that sad day. These were the feelings even she hadn't had the courage to face as of yet. Now she could see what he saw and feel the utter despair he drowned in as he carried his dead mother past the dismembered bodies of the Tusken Raiders. Even after nightfall, Tattoine's intense, oppressive heat created a miserable climate for him to travel carrying his mother's dead body. Her heart pounded inside her chest just the same way his did that night, as he wanted more things to kill so that he could fill that bottomless, empty hole his mother's death left in his life with something... anything more than grief. She was with him afterwards, but now, in this very moment, she was with him during... and she never knew that anyone could ever hurt so bone deep as her Anakin.

Though he towered over her, Anakin's face betrayed how humble he truly felt in her presence again. "My mother's body felt so light in my arms. I remembered begging her for forgiveness when I left the camp. You have to understand, I was too late to save her. Too weak. Less than what she needed me to be, for if I was more she would never have died. I wanted someone to tell me her death wasn't ultimately my fault, even though I knew I wouldn't ever believe them. I didn't even believe Padmé."

"But it wasn't your fault," Shmi tried to get him to see.

"I've disobeyed my master many times," Anakin declared. "I had plenty of opportunities to make a side trip to Tattione to check on you and see that you were alright for myself rather than simply hope for the best. But every time I thought of going home I remembered that I was still a padawan and not a Jedi yet. Obi-Wan still hadn't recommended me for the trials, and until he did I didn't want to come home. I left you as a padawan. I wanted to return a full-fledged Jedi Knight with the power to set you free. I wanted to see pride in your eyes so I followed my own. I allowed what I wanted to get in the way of making sure you were alright. I carry that guilt with me every single day of my life. It will never leave me. Never."

Slowly, Shmi began to understand the man before her, his complexities, regrets, and life experiences. Instead of trying to change his mind she decided to let him lead the way. "What else do I need to know?"

For some reason hearing her ask that lifted a weight off his shoulders. "I strapped my mother's body to the back of my speeder and tied it just over the engine. I flew away as fast as I could, covering the entire desert in one night non-stop. I don't even remember knowing where I was going. I barely recall the trip. It was as if my mind was in a fog, and I wasn't conscious of anything but my mother's death and my failure."

"I arrived at the moisture farm just before daybreak," Anakin sensed Padmé's sadness and Shmi's emotional torture through the Force. In kind, he allowed them to feel what he felt at that time, sharing his state of mind in a way he never had before. "Everyone came out to meet me, but I didn't say a word. I never even looked up, not even at Padmé. I just took my mother's body inside and then grabbed a shovel."

Undone by the severity of what he had gone through, Shmi shook her head as tears descended her cheeks. "Damn Palpatine!" she swore in her mind.

"I dug my mother's grave all by myself," Anakin confessed to her. "I mindlessly tossed dirt until the hole was big enough. It took most of the morning. I heard the questions and the condolences, but I ignored all of them. I walked back inside the house and carried my mother to her grave. I laid her into it and then covered her body myself. All we had at the time was a simple marker for a simple woman, and yet she meant more to me than anything in the galaxy."

Lifting his flesh hand to Shmi's cheek, his thumb smoothed away her tear drops as he stared into eyes so like those he saw in the mirror each day of his life. "It's not your fault that you didn't know any of those things, but I lived them. I experienced every excruciating second of that time in my life. I had a face and a voice and a body to go with my anguish and pain. I wasn't spared with news of a fatal accident or the lack of a body to bury. I was a part of every second of what took place. I will carry those memories to the day that I become one with the Force."

"I am so sorry you had to experience that," Shmi offered through a fresh fall of tears as Padmé quietly joined them.

"My mother's death became the symbol of my failure and lack of power. Then soon after I lost something else." He lifted his other arm and removed the thick black glove covering his mechanized hand. The electro-drivers whirred as he demonstrated how it moved before Shmi's stunned expression. "I raced off into battle unprepared against a greater swordsman. I was impatient, fueled by my inflated ego, and wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't a failure."

"Does it..." Shmi began gently as she traced his fingers with her own, noting the feel and coolness of the metal. "Does it hurt?"

"My vanity, at times," Anakin replied with as much of a somber grin as he'd mustered all day. "No, it does not hurt. It's only a reminder that I need to think before acting out. It was a harsh lesson learned, I assure you."

"Obi-Wan told me you defeated Count Dooku the next time to battled him."

"I defeated and disarmed him, yes. I should have arrested him." A shameful slump of his shoulders spoke volumes. "Palpatine told me to kill him. Dooku was the one who severed my arm, and I did want revenge. I took it by slaying him. That was the beginning of my fall."

Palpatine... That name would forever leave Shmi's filled with disgust and rage. He had almost cost her son everything he held dear. She hoped he knew unimaginable suffering until the end of time. For now though, her duties were clear. She gently squeezed his mechanical hand as a sign that it didn't matter at all. "I am so proud that you were able to rebuke his vile influence. Your true character shined through the darkness he attempted to shroud you in. You are a strong, honorable man, Anakin. I could not be more proud to call you my son."

There was a certain feeling, an emotional sense of accomplishment in a son's heart when he pleased his mother that Anakin thought would be foreign to him for the rest of his life and now had blissfully returned. He witnessed such protectiveness in Shmi's eyes, as well as her pure inner being that was unmistakable. She was without deceit or treachery. Her love for him and his family overwhelmed him as they stood together.

Anakin knew her... from her familiar scent that comforted his entire world, to the gentle voice that lulled him to sleep at night. He knew the inner strength with which she lived a truly hard life as a slave, all the while possessing and endless kindness and compassion when so little was shown to her. He knew love because she had given it to him with all her heart, even so much that she gave him away, so that he would live a better life, the one he was meant to live, even though it shattered her heart to do so.

Yes, this was Shmi Skywalker. Not because Obi-Wan's investigation said so. Not because the blood tests confirmed it. Not even because Master Yoda himself stated it was true.

But because Anakin felt it in his heart of hearts.

"Welcome home," was all that he said upon drawing her into his arms as she began to sob against his shoulder, his hand slowly stroking her back in a calming motion. He held her tightly as the pain of her loss was replaced with the joy of having her in his life again. Padmé's sweet joy joined his own. He looked to her, and then she was in his arms as they all embraced.

Shmi favored her son and Padmé as the purest relief she had ever known filled her soul. She hugged them hard as her tears fell freely and then released them to compose herself. "I know all of us will need time to adjust to this. I don't have any expectations."

"You can expect to have anything that you need, as we need you here with us," Padmé assured her. "We're family, and we're going to stick together."

Anakin took Shmi's hand in his once more. "Mom, how are you doing?"

Her smile eclipsed the whole of Coruscant after being called that again. "I am exhausted, hungry, and at a loss as to where to begin to rebuild my life," she answered honestly. "I am overjoyed at being reunited with you, and to see you happily married and with your own family has validated every sacrifice I have ever made. I feel sincerely blessed."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing," she shook her head. "I just want to see you, hear you talk, and be around you again. Time will take care of everything else. The will of the Force has led us here. It will lead us onward as well."

Suddenly, the will of the Force paled in comparison to Leia's blaring wail that soon woke her brother.

Padmé laughed at how they seemed to at least wait until all the serious adult talk had ended. Perhaps that was a tad deeper than the truth, but she enjoyed the idea nonetheless. She was their mother, after all. "It looks like feeding time has arrived again."

"I'll give you a hand," Shmi offered. Padmé thanked her.

"Can you take Leia while I get Luke?"

"Of course." Shmi reached into the pale blue crib and lifted Leia to her shoulder. The crying infant's sniffles were cute as she seemed to calm down, now looking all around the room. She found her father and smiled.

"Come here," Padmé whispered softly to her son, his eyes already as blue as his father's. "I assure you that your sister is sorry to have woken you up."

"He wants blue milk, Padmé." Anakin nodded while suppressing a grin. His wife had the nerve to glare at him, albeit playfully.

"He wants white milk," she asserted with a regal tilt of her head. "And so does Leia."

Anakin paid her no mind. "Just wait until they get older and can talk. You'll see."

The intimately loving banter between husband and wife underscored a happy relationship they obviously enjoyed. That made Shmi feel so good as they seemed genuinely, deeply in love. As Padmé left the nursery while murmuring to Luke about the benefits of white milk, Shmi watched Anakin lean down to kiss her cheek, and then Leia's. "I love you, Ani. I'm so happy to be with you again."

"So am I," he offered in return. "I'll be with you both in a moment. I just need..."

"I understand, son. We'll be waiting."

As grand as the miracle of Padmé, Luke, and Leia were to him, Anakin now had a fourth miracle to acknowledge and now protect. It was too late to go back. His heart had accepted Shmi and loved her in the here and now despite the fears of the days to come. Nonetheless, he felt no regrets, only hope for a future that somehow looked even better than it already did.

Before he was the Jedi's Chosen One.

Before Palpatine began leading him towards the Darkside.

Before he was Obi-Wan's best friend.

Before he even belonged to Padmé, he was Shmi's son first. And he was again.

The echoes of the dearly departed were replaced with the voices of the truly beloved... the living... his family in the other room. Wearing a smile no force in the universe could ever hope to overcome, Anakin Skywalker left the nursery to join them.

Finally, he was complete.

* * *

**The End **

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